Prior Acquaintances
by Tchernobyl
Summary: What if two of the Children met...yet their identities remained hidden? CHAPTER 9 IS HERE! (sorry for the double spaces, but ff.net won't let me upload any other way)
1. Chapter One: First Contact

Disclaimer: Eva is my bitch, I own it, and Gainax, and all the anime that comes out. I OWN EVERYTHING GODDAMNIT!  
  
No, really ;)  
  
Momoku means "Forsaken" in Japanese, I believe. Or so I'm told.  
  
RoterRitter is German for Red Knight.  
  
Pretty easy to guess who is who, right? :)  
  
Gomen for the short SI ;)  
  
---- signifies start and end of chat  
  
// text // signifies the computer talking.  
  
{{text}} signifies the a flashback  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter One: First Contact  
  
  
  
A computer.  
  
…Why a computer? Why so suddenly, out of the blue? He had been tempted to ask, but one shouldn't question the gifts one receives on one's own birthday. Except, of course, a certain number of things he could think of. Those lines of thought prompted a faint blush on his cheeks, making the young boy glad that he was alone in his room. His eyes settled on the machine, which sat whirring quietly. He knew how to use it, as his school had a number of computers at the students' disposition, for research, email, and such.  
  
This was different, however. No restrictions. No boundaries. There was nothing preventing him from visiting certain sites, or using other programs forbidden by the school.  
  
Deciding himself, he started up one of the programs he had only recently heard of, a few mentions here and there from classmates. The basic concept of the program itself dated from pre-Second Impact, but had survived throughout time to land on his hard drive today.  
  
//Thank you for using Mirc 66.6, the most widespread Internet Relay Chat program on the Web. Would you like me to configure the settings for you?//  
  
Blinking at the unexpected voice, the boy clicked on the button confirming his assent.  
  
// Settings configured. Japanese National Server selected. Please enter your nickname.//  
  
Nickname? What could he possibly call himself?  
  
{{ A tall, dark shape of a man, his hands in his pockets. Turning around, and walking away. Leaving a crying boy in his wake, a duffel bag next to him. }}  
  
"Father…why have you forsaken me?" the boy whispered. Seemingly on their own, his fingers typed in the name he chose for himself, the name he would let himself be known as.  
  
----  
  
Your name is now Momoku.  
  
----  
  
// Thank you, Momoku. Initializing Chat Interface. //  
  
Moments later, he was connected, a list of channels on the local server appearing on the screen. One caught his eye immediately, being the only one with a non-Japanese name. Curiosity getting the better of him, he entered the channel.  
  
------  
  
*** Now talking in #Rosengärten  
  
*** Topic is 'Tread on the roses, you D13, F00. || Song of the moment: Megumi Hayashibara – Fly me to the Moon'  
  
Set by RoterRitter on Mon Jan 12 07:23:35  
  
Katyra Howdy Bob  
  
Katyra Mmm. Hoppin' channel today.  
  
JustBob oh, yeah  
  
JustBob I can't keep up  
  
Katyra scary the level of activity, ain't it? ;)  
  
* Tchernobyl eyes you all  
  
Tchernobyl Hello, Momoku!  
  
Momoku Er…Ohayo…  
  
Tangent New around here, eh?  
  
Katyra Ooh. We treat newbies alright, don't we? ;)  
  
Roscoe Well, in for the exception of the BitchOp when she's here, yeah :P  
  
*** RoterRitter has joined #Rosengärten  
  
*** Chanserv sets mode: +o RoterRitter  
  
Tchernobyl Yeah, talk about a total bitch. Talk at her the wrong way, and bam, you're booted.  
  
Tchernobyl …  
  
Tchernobyl Open mouth, insert foot. I best flee.  
  
*** Tchernobyl has quit IRC (Quit: RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!)  
  
RoterRitter … I'll get him, one day. I'll make sure of that.  
  
Momoku …?  
  
Roscoe Hey, I gots to go…see y'all.  
  
Katyra Housework here. Bye!  
  
* Roscoe is now known as Ros-Gone  
  
* Katyra is now known as Katy-Slaving-Away  
  
----  
  
A new window popped up, startling the boy. What was this all about?  
  
----  
  
RoterRitter Ignore those fools. Usually, conversations are rampant, but sometimes it's just slashing…  
  
Momoku … They do this every time, don't they?  
  
RoterRitter Huh? Do what?  
  
Momoku Leave when you arrive.  
  
RoterRitter …Yeah. Can't figure out why, either. I mean, how can one not like me? Pretty, smart, great personality…  
  
----  
  
The boy's eyebrow rose, his lip quirking in a small smirk. He had a small idea why…  
  
----  
  
RoterRitter I hope you're not one of those types. One more on my back…  
  
* RoterRitter glares  
  
Momoku Er, I'm rather the type that forms his opinion over time…after getting to know the person better…  
  
RoterRitter :)  
  
RoterRitter How did you know, anyway? That they do that?  
  
Momoku The way they talked about you, and how they left…  
  
RoterRitter Meh. They just don't appreciate my presence :-P  
  
RoterRitter Aw, damn, I have to leave. School's starting soon.  
  
Momoku School? It's 7 pm…  
  
RoterRitter I'm in Germany, dummkopf :-P  
  
Momoku Oh…  
  
RoterRitter Hey, meet again tomorrow at the same time? It was fun talking to you :) you seem more interesting than all those other fools :-P  
  
Momoku Er..sure  
  
RoterRitter Ok then, Ciao! :)  
  
----  
  
Blinking, a small smile creeping on his face, 13 year old Shinji Ikari leaned back into his chair. He had a feeling this was the start of a good day.  
  
  
  
Notes: Debating skipping a part of the "getting to know one another" sequence...might be too much there without that much plot advancement...and yes, I *do* have plans in mind for later on...just the beginning causing me headaches ^^; 


	2. Chapter Two: Similarities and Discoverie...

Prior Acquaintances  
  
Chapter Two: Similarities and Discoveries.  
  
  
  
Footsteps echoed on the pavement; a ragged breath made itself be heard. The young boy materialized from the corner, slowing to a halt a few steps later. Gently setting down the large case he carried, he leaned against the adjacent wall, waiting to catch his breath.  
  
"Why am I even running?" he thought. "Today's no different than any other day." Then a memory from the night before resurfaced in his mind...  
  
{{RoterRitter Hey, meet again tomorrow at the same time? It was fun talking to you :) you seem more interesting than all those other fools :- P}}  
  
Ah, yes. He wanted to talk to her. Talk to who was possibly the first person to take an interest in him since... since the death of his mother. One could admittedly say his grandparents took interest in him, as he lived in their home... but that was only a façade, he knew. They seemed to limit themselves to taking care of him, not actually caring for him. He had the impression they handled him as they would handle a precious vase.  
  
He longed for some actual interaction... someone he could talk to. That's why he was hurrying back, he told himself.  
  
He was also running about ten minutes late.  
  
Which he was, of course, immediately badgered for as he finally logged on.  
  
----  
  
RoterRitter You're late! Be glad it's Saturday, otherwise I'd already be in school!  
  
Momoku Gomen, gomen, I just came back from my cello lesson.  
  
RoterRitter You play the cello? Hey, I play the violin :) How long have you been playing?  
  
Momoku A bit more than half a dozen years, I guess. Although I'm not that good.  
  
RoterRitter I'd rather judge that myself, thankyouverymuch. And I'd say that if after 6 years of practice, you're not good, then you should never have tried to play it. Either that, or someone would've already told you to stop :-P  
  
Momoku Hrm…how long have you been playing the Violin?  
  
RoterRitter 'Bout the same amount of time, actually. Although I KNOW I'm good. Everybody tells me that ;)  
  
-----  
  
Shinji let a small grin spread on his face. He could definitely see a trait of her character emerge, as it had in their prior discussion. She definitely wasn't afraid of displaying her opinion of herself.  
  
-----  
  
RoterRitter Say, you wouldn't happen to have a recording of your playing, would you?  
  
Momoku No…I don't even know how to do that.  
  
RoterRitter I'll walk you through it, so you can send me an excerpt :) I'll record and send you one of mine, too…  
  
----  
  
She explained how to set up the computer's built-in recording device, and then both set off to make a recording. Although Shinji's piece was technically shorter than his correspondent's, he made a few mistakes, which prompted him to start from the beginning each time. He guessed he was just nervous, as this was his first time he played for an audience. It was a rather long-distant audience, but still someone else than his Sensei.  
  
As he finished off his piece, he shut down the recording device, and proceeded to send the file to his chatting partner. She had already sent hers, and was waiting quite impatiently.  
  
----  
  
RoterRitter Ok, here ya go. What do you think of it?  
  
RoterRitter …still there?  
  
* RoterRitter pokes  
  
Momoku Gomen, gomen, it took me a few tries to get it right…  
  
RoterRitter Ah, ok. Have you listened to mine yet?  
  
Momoku not really, I just barely got finished with recording mine now…  
  
RoterRitter Bah. Start now! :-P I'll listen to yours when it's done.  
  
----  
  
He opened the file, and blinked as he heard the first tones coming from it. Not an instrument, but rather, a voice… it had a melodious quality, and a distinct accent he couldn't quite place.  
  
"OK, here's my piece. It's Bach's Partita Three for Violin Solo, Gavotte in Rondo."  
  
Sounds of an uplifting and joyful violin melody filled Shinji's room. Every note was like a flow in a river, smoothly gliding along. Not an error to be heard, not a fault he could discern. Had he not remembered it was only a playback, he would have stood up and clapped.  
  
----  
  
RoterRitter ….Not that good, he says. I'd say you pray pretty damn well! That was great! Not a single error I could hear.  
  
Momoku Really? Arigato…  
  
RoterRitter Although I'm somewhat disappointed I didn't get to hear you, yourself :-P  
  
Momoku Gomen. I didn't think of it at the time...  
  
RoterRitter S'alright. And stop apologizing already! Anyway, how'd you like my piece?  
  
Momoku It was excellent. Every part of it.  
  
RoterRitter What, me or the violin? ;)  
  
Momoku …both?  
  
RoterRitter Hehe. Knew you'd like it ;)  
  
Momoku Although I couldn't really identify your accent…I heard something, but I can't tell what exactly it was.  
  
RoterRitter Most likely German, dummkopf. As I said, I live here, and was born here, so quite naturally I speak the language.  
  
Momoku Yet you speak Japanese…?  
  
RoterRitter …my mother was Japanese.  
  
Momoku….was?  
  
RoterRitter I'd rather not talk about it, please.  
  
Momoku …Ok…  
  
RoterRitter Make sure to record your voice, sometime! I want to hear how you sound :-P  
  
RoterRitter It's only fair after you've heard me ;)  
  
----  
  
Shinji raised an eyebrow at the quick change of topic. "Apparently, her mother is a very sensitive topic," he thought. He decided he'd return the favor. Turning on the recording device, and trying to remember everything from all the German classes he'd ever taken, he spoke what could best be described as a horrible mangling of the German language. He was aware of that, but thought it was the effort that counted. He just hoped he'd gotten the grammar right.  
  
"Ich hab Suiten fur Violoncello Solo nummer Einz gespielen, von Johann Sebastian Bach."  
  
----  
  
RoterRitter What's this? Another file?  
  
Momoku I'm returning the favor  
  
RoterRitter …?  
  
RoterRitter Oh, you mean the recording. Great! I'll be able to hear ya! ^_^ There, now to open it.  
  
RoterRitter ……  
  
Momoku Did I say something wrong?  
  
RoterRitter …I'm wondering whether I should be amazed that you actually tried to speak German, be laughing for how horrible your German was, or be angry for how badly you managed to mangle my language :p  
  
Momoku …That bad?  
  
RoterRitter It's ok, I forgive you ;) 'cause you sound nice. :)  
  
Momoku Arigato…or rather, Danke?  
  
RoterRitter ^_^  
  
----  
  
Glancing at the clock, he saw that several hours had already passed, dragging him into late hours of the night. Despite this, he returned his gaze to the screen and continued typing back to his companion about what they liked... what they disliked... They spent hours discovering more about one another. At least, they learned what the other chose to reveal.  
  
Hours later, he lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He'd found out…that she and he couldn't be more different. They seemed to have widely divergent interests and preferences. This, however, was not a drawback, rather, an advantage. They could learn more through each other's interests. For instance, she had mentioned a German rock band, called Rammstein. She had even sent him a few songs. Normally one to prefer classical music and j- pop, he found the tunes and beats of the songs rather interesting. The interest in them increased as she translated the lyrics, which actually had a meaning, unlike most western songs of the times. She, on the other hand, learned a number of recipes for several Japanese dishes.  
  
All in all, he realized as he lay on his bed, he had been enjoying himself. He could talk to her, he felt, even of more important things, if and when such a time would come.  
  
She had also said that he had a nice voice. Did that mean, she liked just the voice…or possibly, him? Sighing, he rolled over on his futon. Wishful thinking, he thought. No one could ever really like him. 


	3. Chapter Three: The Other Side

Prior Acquaintances  
  
Chapter Three: The Other Side  
  
Der Roter Ritter. The Red Knight. A Master at anything she willed herself to do. She had everything: brains, looks, passion….EVA. Already a figure of perfection and beauty at the young age of twelve, she was also the pilot of Man's most advanced fighting machine ever made: EVA Unit 02. She was intelligent, extremely so, with a will and drive to match. Which was why she was sitting in this class.  
  
In college.  
  
At twelve.  
  
She was a wonder, and was treated accordingly, for the most part. Respect and admiration on one hand, Awe on the other…and patronizing. She was, historically, one of the youngest people ever to graduate from college, which she was sure of doing in the next few months. This made the college directors proud, as well as the students, although in a different manner. They were proud to have such a wonder within their midst. She was even made the symbol of achievement of the college, her picture forever placed amongst the great ones in the college's history, in the hall of fame.  
  
She was happy. If anyone else was asked, she was the picture of joy. Always with a bright smile on her face, always ready for laughter. If she herself were asked, she would say the same thing.  
  
If she were to ask herself, however, the answer would be totally different.  
  
She hated it all. She was miserable. She was proving herself to the world, by being the best at everything she did. The world answered her by creating a sense of ownership. As if it was thanks to them she was where she was that day. She excelled at everything possible, to show she was better than everyone. They answered her with a pat on the back.  
  
No one respected her like they should, like she wanted them to; no one thought to ask her how she felt. If they did, it was only out of duty, not out of concern. She wouldn't even let them do so. If people don't get close to you, you won't be abandoned, and thus can't get hurt. She had learned that lesson early on in her life, and had learned it well. Best to drive everyone away, to remain closed off. Best not open oneself to others. That way, she would never be hurt again.  
  
So why am I doing exactly that, she thought, twirling a pencil in her hand as the professor droned on. That boy…for the past month, now, she'd been talking to him. He was…different, somehow. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, however. He was just…his character was just…different. Most boys her age, even the older ones in college thought about only one thing. They judged people by their exteriors, which was why the boys wanted to be with her. But she was at a different level. Most people she knew were what she called "surface" people. They were shallow, bland. What you see, is what you get.  
  
This boy, however…she could talk to him, somehow relate to him, even if it seemed that their characters were polar opposites. Something about him just broke down her defenses, without her even realizing it until much later. The pencil stopped its twirling motions, caught in a clenching fist. As the pencil neared its breaking point, the fist relaxed. She'd done it again. Each time she recalled how he broke down her defenses, she realized he did that without even trying. That she herself was letting her defenses down, if only subconsciously.  
  
Her pencil finally snapped as she realized she was doing so willingly, that she liked it. This stopped the professor's ranting.  
  
„Haben sie ein Problem, Fraulein Soryu?"* he asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.  
  
„Nein, nein...tut mir leid, Herr Professor..."** she answered, caught off guard. He frowned at her for a few more moments, then continued his lecture.  
  
She frowned. It was the boy's fault her thoughts had drifted…Her frown grew even more. Why, of all things, had her thoughts drifted to someone who couldn't be more different from her?  
  
They do say opposites attract, she thought, before mentally slapping herself.  
  
Best not dwell on those thoughts.  
  
--------------------------  
  
*"Do you have a problem, Miss Soryu?"  
  
**"No, no…sorry, Professor…" 


	4. Chapter Four: Preventive Measures

{{ text }} signifies a flashback. I'll put it in italics to make it easier to see here ;)  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
  
  
The old man chuckled as he read the latest report from Section Two. This was something nobody had accounted for, and he was curious as to how much further it would develop. The shadow of a smile tugging at his face, the old man wondered how Yui would have reacted to this... development. He figured she would've helped things go right along. He let his mind wander, recollecting events almost six months prior.  
  
  
  
{{He probably already knows about it, he thought, as he opened the door and walked up to the desk, where sat a man with shaded glasses and gloved hands bridged under his nose. His lack of any movement whatsoever would cause many to think he was only a statue, but any church's gargoyle would probably be more animated than the figure at the desk.  
  
Gendo Ikari didn't even move an inch as the old Professor set the report in front of him. "You have heard, I presume, Ikari?" he asked.  
  
"Mmm," came the grunted assent.  
  
"Should any measures be taken?"  
  
"The standard security procedure. No relevant information must get through."  
  
"Nothing about the Evas, then." Kozo said, nodding.  
  
"Nor should they know their identities, or locations. Nor their appearance." This got a raised eyebrow from the Professor.  
  
"Should that be formulated as an order to the concerned party?"  
  
"No. Use the Magi to screen and filter any information. Enlist Dr. Akagi if need be." Years of knowing the man made him nod, a now conditioned reflex, But Fuyutsuki was holding back his surprise as he left the office.  
  
"I leave it up to you, Sensei," came the voice as the door closed.}}  
  
Sighing, Kozo Fuyutsuki mentally berated himself for dwelling on the past, stopping at the door to the Supreme Commander of NERV's.  
  
What in the world was Ikari up to?  
  
"Any new developments?" asked the Commander, as his Sub-Commander entered the office.  
  
"Nothing harmful, which wouldn't get through anyway if there had been anything. But the damage has already been done, Ikari, or have you forgotten?"  
  
Gendo Ikari remained silent, urging the professor to continue. "They know in what country the other lives. They know they play instruments. They've even heard each other's voices, for God's sake."  
  
"Has that impediment been... neutralized?" interrupted the other man.  
  
The old man nodded. "Those files have been erased, and further transfers blocked. But it may be too late already."  
  
Silence was his only reply.  
  
----  
  
RoterRitter Damnit, I can't believe I lost that file...  
  
Momoku What file?  
  
RoterRitter Yours. Your cello piece. Argh, it's totally disappeared! Must've deleted it by mistake when I cleared out some stuff from here...  
  
Momoku You know, I can't seem to find yours either. And I know I haven't erased anything.  
  
RoterRitter This is weird...  
  
RoterRitter ...  
  
RoterRitter Say , I just thought of something.  
  
Momoku ?  
  
RoterRitter I don't even know your name.  
  
Momoku ....? It's right here!  
  
RoterRitter Your REAL name, foo'!  
  
Momoku Ah...Nor do I know yours.  
  
RoterRitter And this after what, six months?  
  
Momoku I always did have the impression I was forgetting something...  
  
RoterRitter Ah well. Spit it out!  
  
----  
  
Shinji stopped as he was about to press the enter key, an idea having popped into his head. Grinning slightly, he erased his name and entered a slightly different message.  
  
----  
  
Momoku Ladies first. ;)  
  
RoterRitter ....why you...  
  
* Momoku smiles  
  
RoterRitter All right, all right. I'll have you know that I'm the one and only @)$*_&&#*( @*&$)(& ((((  
  
Momoku ....????  
  
RoterRitter What? Have you heard of me?  
  
Momoku Er...well I'm somewhat amazed your name is a string of characters...  
  
RoterRitter Eh????  
  
Momoku It came out as @)$*_&&#*( @*&$)(& ((((  
  
RoterRitter What the hell?? It's showing up on my screen!  
  
Momoku Try sending it per email?  
  
RoterRitter Okay. Give me a minute.  
  
----  
  
"Mein Gott, what's is wrong with this stupid machine?" ranted the auburn haired girl, lightly whapping the screen. She quickly opened up the email program, and sent off the message.  
  
----  
  
RoterRitter Sent. Did that work?  
  
Momoku Give it a second to arrive...ah, here it is.  
  
RoterRitter Well?  
  
Momoku .......  
  
RoterRitter What? What?  
  
Momoku I seriously doubt your name is Albert Einstein.  
  
RoterRitter WHAT????  
  
----  
  
Elsewhere, a Section Two agent was laughing his ass off as he watched the conversation go on.  
  
----  
  
RoterRitter Something is seriously wrong here...  
  
Momoku Don't ask me, I don't know...  
  
RoterRitter Let's test something....try sending your own name...  
  
Momoku ....?  
  
RoterRitter Just do it!  
  
Momoku Okay okay...I'll do email first, then here...there. Email sent. It's #())*#!@& ^%!*(&  
  
RoterRitter ARGH! No good.  
  
RoterRitter Email says.......  
  
RoterRitter .......  
  
Momoku ...? Dare I ask?  
  
RoterRitter You must be a better player than even you think, Mr. Johann Sebastian Bach. :-P  
  
Momoku .....I guess that means it didn't work...  
  
RoterRitter I guess I'll have to ask |}{:-San....  
  
Momoku ...who?  
  
RoterRitter ...please don't tell me it did it again...  
  
Momoku er..it did?  
  
RoterRitter GRR. Okay, I'm logging off, I'm going to look for someone that could help.  
  
*** RoterRitter has quit IRC (Quit: )  
  
Momoku Okay...talk to you la....ter.  
  
----  
  
Little did she know that her eternally unshaved guardian had only moments before received a full description of the events concerning his young charge, and orders not to undertake any action against the measures taken.  
  
Courtesy of the higher echelons of NERV, of course.  
  
  
  
Shinji sighed, slumping against his chair. He gazed at the ceiling until a knock sounded at his door. Blinking, Shinji sat up and faced the hallway.  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"Shinji," the voice of his grandfather made itself heard through the door. "You've received a letter..."  
  
Shinji blinked once more, and rose to open the door. His grandfather handed him the letter, and quietly left. Silently, he tore the envelope open, letting a letter and a picture fall out. He glanced at the picture, which showed a mauve-haired woman displaying a rather... large... amount of cleavage.  
  
Any hint of a nosebleed stopped as he looked at the letter.  
  
One word and a name were written.  
  
"Come.  
  
Gendo Ikari" 


	5. Chapter Five: Foreign Places

Prior Acquaintances  
  
Chapter 5: Foreign Places  
  
  
  
Dark blue eyes gazed towards the heavens, staring without the slightest movement. One could have believed the owner of these eyes was dead, except for the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. However, the eyes' stargazing was blocked by one slight impediment.  
  
"Unfamiliar ceiling…" mumbled the boy, once again taking in his new surroundings. Dark, as the light was off. Bare, as no posters or any decorations were to be found on the walls. Gradually, these surroundings faded as his consciousness drifted to the events of the past twenty-four hours.  
  
{{"Sorry I'm late!"  
  
"You're not comfortable with your father, are you?"  
  
"It's been a while."  
  
"Get in."  
  
"Get in, or leave!"  
  
"I can't! I can't do this!"  
  
"I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away…"  
  
"I'll do it!"  
  
"Welcome home."}}  
  
He had…fought. In a robot. A giant, biomechanical robot. Or so they had told him. He had fought against an equally large…thing, that they called an Angel. It had…dislocated his arm and crushed his wrist. And pierced his skull. Yet somehow, he had destroyed it, walking away from the battle, and even the self-destruction of the angel. Except for the mental scars and fatigue, he was left unscathed.  
  
Yet, why was he here?  
  
His father had told him to come, and he did. The same father who had abandoned him without a word all those years ago. He should have stayed at his grandparents' house. Then he wouldn't have been forced to face the rejection, once again…nor face the…things…that had, he now realized, irrevocably changed his life. He couldn't go back, after what he had seen and done.  
  
Silently lost in his own thoughts, he didn't hear his SDAT change to track 26. He did, however, hear the track itself, as the sound of a violin made itself heard.  
  
"….Partita Three for Violin Solo, Gavotte in Rondo…" he whispered, and sat up as the song triggered a memory. He had downloaded the song after he had lost the one he'd received from…her. He'd have to talk to her. He lay back on the bed, decided to set his computer up tomorrow.  
  
That on his mind, he quickly drifted off to sleep.  
  
  
  
"YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! THAT'S the way to start the day!"  
  
Shinji could only stare in mild horror as his new roommate and self- stylized guardian drank down a whole can of Yebisu, first thing in the morning.  
  
"…You call that breakfast," he asked.  
  
"I'll have you know this is how a traditional Japanese breakfast starts!"  
  
"For you, maybe…" he mumbled, as she glared at him.  
  
"So, are you all settled down now?"  
  
"Yeah…just need to set up my computer. Could you help me with that? I don't know where the plugs are…"  
  
"Mmm, sure. After you come back from school and the synch tests."  
  
"…School? I still have school with all these synch tests?"  
  
"Honestly, you think we'd cut down on your education?"  
  
"It's more like you're turning me into a workhorse…"  
  
"By the way, if you don't leave soon, you're going to be late."  
  
"….I don't even know where the school is, Misato-san…"  
  
"Oh," she said, blinking. "Well, I'll drive you there today. You can walk tomorrow."  
  
  
  
  
  
IS IT TRUE? Y/N  
  
Shinji looked blankly at the screen of his notebook. What was this about? He glanced around the room, his gaze falling on two girls, waving at him. He didn't know either of them, as he had only been in the school for the past three weeks. He turned back to the screen as a new message appeared.  
  
ARE YOU THE PILOT? Y/N  
  
Ah. Of course. Why else would they talk to him? Should he even answer?  
  
He looked at the screen for a few more seconds…and let his hands move.  
  
YES.  
  
"WHAAAAAAAAAT?", came the resounding cry throughout the classroom, as all converged on him. He jumped, then cowered as the mass of humanity towered above him.  
  
"What is it like?"  
  
"What is it called?"  
  
"What is it's special attack?"  
  
"We're so proud of you!"  
  
Yeah…right. They barely know me…  
  
"Hey, new kid. Outside. Now."  
  
  
  
  
  
Ow. That hurt.  
  
"His sister got hurt in the accident, because of that big robot. That's his excuse, anyway," whispered the bespectacled light-brown haired boy, then turn to leave with his friend, who had just flattened Shinji.  
  
"…It's not as if I wanted to pilot….", he muttered, wiping at the fresh mark on his face. This caused the jock to freeze, and turn around. He picked Shinji up by the collar, seething as the latter wouldn't look at him in the face, and punched him once more. He remained lying on the ground long after both left, gazing up at the sky, until an unruly mop of blue hair and a single red eye gazed down at him.  
  
"We've received a call from headquarters. I'll see you there."  
  
Again, he was left alone. Sitting up, his thoughts drifted towards the girl that had just appeared and disappeared so promptly. He could have sworn he'd seen her for a moment, in the middle of the road, before the "Angel" had appeared… He also remembered her on the stretcher, making his prior memory erroneous. How his father had used both himself and her, forcing him to pilot lest the injured girl would have to pilot again…and most likely not survive the process, or so Misato had told him. How she seemed to gaze out the window during the whole lessons, everyday, not paying attention to anything or anyone.  
  
Shaking his head, he stood up, and started walking towards the Geofront.  
  
  
  
Days later, he stood in front of his computer, now ready to start up. He hadn't talked to her in a few …weeks, now…since he'd gotten his father's letter. Since then, whether it was school, or synch test, or both as it usually was, he was either too exhausted or just plain never remembered to turn the machine on. He wanted to talk about so many things…but most of them he couldn't. He wouldn't talk about how he had ran away, ignoring his own mantra. Would he talk about the two other boys he could now call friends, one of the two who had hit him twice only days before? Probably not. Least of all would he talk about the robots…the EVAs. Not that he could if he wanted to, as he was now prohibited of revealing any information relevant to NERV. First and foremost, the EVAs.  
  
Sighing, he turned on his computer.  
  
----  
  
*** Now talking in #Rosengärten  
  
*** Topic is 'Where pigs may fly, someday. || Song of the moment: Johann Sebastian Bach – Suiten für Violoncello'  
  
*** Set by RoterRitter on Mon Jan 08 17:33:15  
  
*** ChanServ sets mode: +o Momoku  
  
Momoku Hello, all…  
  
Tchernobyl Hey, Momoku! Where you been lately?  
  
Momoku Oh…I've been busy…couldn't get on.  
  
Tchernobyl Ah. Happens…seems to be I'm the only one here. Wah! So lonely!  
  
*** ArmyOtaku has joined #Rosengärten  
  
ArmyOtaku hi  
  
ArmyOtaku ne1 want to cyber?  
  
Tchernobyl ……….  
  
Tchernobyl Momoku? If you please?  
  
ArmyOtaku wut?  
  
Momoku ……  
  
*** ArmyOtaku was kicked by Momoku (Momoku)  
  
Tchernobyl I hate those types….  
  
Momoku Lets just hope he doesn't come back…  
  
Momoku Hey, where's RoterRitter?  
  
Tchernobyl Her? I dunno, she should be here by now…why, want to talk to your girlfriend? ;)  
  
Momoku ….she's not my girlfriend.  
  
*** RoterRitter has joined #Rosengärten  
  
*** ChanServ sets mode: +o RoterRitter  
  
Tchernobyl Bullshit. She's been asking if you had been in the channel every time she came here, and left immediately if not. Sounds like what a girlfriend would do ;)  
  
Tchernobyl ….. Damn, I'm good. Next thing I'll swallow my whole leg instead of my foot.  
  
*** Tchernobyl has quit IRC (Quit: RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!)  
  
RoterRitter ….I still don't know why I don't just ban him…  
  
----  
  
Shinji was about to open a new window to talk to her, but was interrupted by her own.  
  
----  
  
RoterRitter Where have you been??  
  
Momoku I had to move…pack all my things up and ship them, it took a while…and I've been incredibly busy…  
  
RoterRitter Oh. Still, you could've found something like an Internet Café or something and sent me an email!  
  
Momoku I didn't think of that…  
  
RoterRitter Obviously not…  
  
RoterRitter Too busy to talk to me? :-P What were you doing anyway?  
  
Momoku Oh, stuff… getting organized for the transfer to my new school, things like that… then a whole load of homework…I just haven't had time.  
  
Momoku …  
  
RoterRitter ?  
  
RoterRitter Is something wrong?  
  
Momoku I don't know…can I ask you something?  
  
RoterRitter Sure, go ahead.  
  
Momoku It might be a bit personal, though…  
  
RoterRitter …you know how I hate personal questions..  
  
Momoku Gomen, gomen, forget I asked…  
  
RoterRitter Oh for chrissakes… all right, ask. And stop apologizing!  
  
Momoku Gomen  
  
* RoterRitter glares  
  
Momoku Er…anyway..  
  
Momoku Have you ever…been forced to do something you really, really didn't want to do, but was forced into doing it? By making you feel guilty if you didn't do it?  
  
RoterRitter Of course.  
  
Momoku Really?  
  
RoterRitter Yeah…when I wouldn't eat my vegetables or anything like that, for example…  
  
Momoku …never mind.  
  
RoterRitter What? What?  
  
Momoku Just don't mind it…  
  
RoterRitter Oh no you aren't getting off this easy, mister! Tell me!  
  
Momoku …  
  
Momoku Have you ever felt…used? That someone was playing with your feelings, then throwing them away, abandoning them?  
  
----  
  
Shinji raised an eyebrow as he waited for a response. Normally, it would be almost instantaneous…but by now, several minutes had passed.  
  
----  
  
Momoku You still there?  
  
RoterRitter Yeah.  
  
Momoku And?  
  
RoterRitter …yeah. I have. And I absolutely hate it. And I really don't like knowing you're feeling like that. If you need to talk, come to me, you hear me? I'll listen.  
  
Momoku Really?  
  
RoterRitter Didn't I just say so? Look, I really don't want to see you like this, ok?  
  
Momoku Thanks…  
  
RoterRitter Seriously. I like you, and I don't want to see a friend like this…I already know how bad it is…  
  
----  
  
A friend…? She considered him a friend? His thoughts then went over what the other guy had mentioned.  
  
{Tchernobyl Bullshit. She's been asking if you had been in the channel every time she came here, and left immediately if not. Sounds like what a girlfriend would do ;) }  
  
Could she…or rather, would she…? No, he thought, with nonetheless a slight blush on his cheeks. If there was anything, he would wait until he actually met her. Not that that would be possible, given all the things happening around him now.  
  
----  
  
Momoku Thanks…same goes for you…if you want to talk, I'll listen. Not that I'd be much help…  
  
RoterRitter Oh, stop that. And thanks. You're already helping me by talking to me. I'm lonely out here…oh, by the way, where did you move?  
  
Momoku I'm in @)_)&$!*&-(*!&  
  
RoterRitter ARGH! IT DID IT AGAIN!!  
  
Momoku …..  
  
---- 


	6. Chapter Six: Mystery Girl

  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 6: Mystery Girl   
  
  
  
  
Ayanami Rei. First Child. Pilot of Evangelion Prototype Unit 00.   
  
That's all he knew about her. Enigmatic would fall short in describing her. She   
was clouded in mystery and secrets, none of which he could ever hope getting   
an answer to. Shinji had asked Misato about her, but she could only tell him   
Rei had been around NERV even longer than Misato herself. She had also told   
him that all of Rei's records had been erased, so she couldn't offer him any   
more information.   
  
Except…except for the fact his father cared about her. He had saved her during   
EVA 00's activation, burning his hands on the superheated exterior in the   
process. His father, who had abandoned him years beforehand. His father, who   
had made him come to Tokyo-3 to pilot the…thing they named EVA. His father,   
who had told him to leave if he didn't pilot. His father, who couldn't seem to   
care less about his son.   
  
His father, who was smiling, and chatting with Rei, next to her EVA.   
Expressions she was mirroring. She was smiling, and this was the same person   
who, hours before, had not shown any expression as he had proceeded to   
humiliate Toji in front of all the girls.   
  
What was she to the Commander? And in reverse, what was he to her?   
  
How could she get him to…open up, when he, the Commander's own son, seemed only   
capable of bringing contempt or indifference from the Elder Ikari.   
  
Yet another part of the mystery named Ayanami Rei.   
  
  
  
"…Misato cooked this, didn't she?" The blonde scientist asked, grimacing at the   
vile taste in her mouth. Shinji nodded.   
  
"Oh, can you tell?"   
  
"Yes, by it's taste. Next time, invite me when it's Shinji's turn to cook,"   
continued Ritsuko, setting her chopsticks down. "Shinji, you should move out.   
You shouldn't let one bad roommate ruin your life."   
  
"I'm used to it now," answered the boy, looking back from the kitchen. Thought   
I heard a noise there…   
  
"He's right, Ritsuko. Never underestimate the ability of the human animal to   
adapt to it's environment. And anyway, if he does move…" she continued,   
shaking her beer can. She paused upon noticing its state of emptiness.   
"Shin-chan, why don't you bring me another one, please?"   
  
"Hai."   
  
"…he's going to have to go through a lot of trouble and red tape," she   
continued, her own interruption forgotten. "He just got his permanent security   
card, you know."   
  
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Ritsuko blurted out. "Shinji, would you do me a   
favor?"   
she asked, searching for something in her purse.   
  
"What is it?"   
  
"Rei Ayanami's renewal card. I keep forgetting to give this to her. Would you   
mind delivering it before you go to headquarters?"   
  
"Sure," he said, taking the card. He glanced at it, checking if there was   
anything of interest on the card. The picture was such an item, as it grabbed   
his attention and refused to let go. Misato smirked at the boy's actions.   
  
"What's the matter? You're staring at Rei's picture, aren't you?"   
  
"Huhwha? No!"   
  
"Oh, I think you are Shin-chan." She pressed on, grinning even more than she   
had been before.   
  
"N-No!"   
  
"Oh come on!" she laughed, holding her hand in front of her mouth. "You're   
embarrassed, aren't you? Well, you've got an official excuse to go to Rei's   
place now. This is your chance, isn't it?"   
  
"Stop teasing me!" Answered Shinji, sitting down in a huff. Misato laughed it   
off.   
  
"But I love teasing you. You always go ballistic!"   
  
"Just like Misato," quipped in the scientist of the group, eliciting an   
indignant grumble from it's target.   
  
"I just find it strange that I know so little about Ayanami, even though we're   
both Eva pilots," Shinji continued quietly.   
  
Ritsuko nodded. "She's a very nice girl, but she's like your father. She's not   
very adept at…"   
  
"Not adept at what?" asked the boy, curious.   
  
"Living."   
  
----   
*** Now talking in #Rosengärten   
*** Topic is 'Where pigs may fly, someday. || Song of the moment: Johann Sebastian Bach – Jesu   
Bleibet Meine Freude'   
*** Set by RoterRitter on Mon February 11 12:33:15   
*** ChanServ sets mode: +o Momoku   
Tchernobyl I command you, as King of the Britons, to stand aside!   
Shenalia I move…for no man…   
Tchernobyl So be it!   
Momoku ?   
* Tchernobyl slashes at Shen   
* Shenalia parries   
* Shenalia counters   
* Tchernobyl parries and slashes back, cutting Shen's arm off   
Tchernobyl Now stand aside, worthy adversary!   
Shenalia T'is but a scratch!   
Tchernobyl A scratch? Your arm's off!   
Shenalia No it isn't!   
Tchernobyl So what's that then? *points towards the arm on the ground*   
* Shenalia looks at the arm   
Shenalia I've had worse.   
Momoku …   
Tchernobyl You liar!   
Shenalia Come on ya pansy!   
* Shenalia slashes   
* Tchernobyl dodges   
* Tchernobyl slashes back, cutting Shen's other arm off   
Tchernobyl Victory is mine!   
* Tchernobyl bows down   
Tchernobyl We thank thee lord, for in thy mercy….   
Shenalia HA! * kicks Tcher *   
* Tchernobyl oofs   
Shenalia Come on then!   
Tchernobyl What?   
Shenalia HAVE AT YOU!   
Tchernobyl You're indeed brave Sir Knight, but the fight is mine!   
Shenalia Oh, had enough, eh?   
Tchernobyl …   
Tchernobyl Look, you stupid bastard, you've got no arms left!   
Shenalia Yes I have!   
Tchernobyl Look!   
Shenalia Just a flesh wound…   
* Shenalia kicks Tcher   
Tchernobyl Look, stop that!   
Shenalia Chicken! Chicken!   
Tchernobyl Look, I'll have your leg!   
* Shenalia kicks Tcher again   
Tchernobyl Right!   
* Tchernobyl cuts off one of Shen's legs   
* Shenalia looks at the leg, then back up   
Shenalia Right, I'll do you for that!   
Tchernobyl You'll WHAT?   
----   
How long was this going to go ON, wondered Shinji as he watched the events   
going on, a smile nonetheless present on his face.   
----   
Shenalia C'mere!   
Tchernobyl What are you gonna do, bleed on me?   
Shenalia I'M INVINCIBLE!   
Tchernobyl …You're a loony.   
Shenalia THE BLACK KNIGHT ALWAYS TRIUMPHS!   
Shenalia HAVE AT YOU!   
Tchernobyl …   
Shenalia Come on then!   
* Shenalia hops around   
* Tchernobyl cuts off the other leg   
* Shenalia looks down, then from one leg to the other   
Shenalia Alright, we'll call it a draw.   
----   
At this point, Shinji could barely hold in the laughter. He knew after all the   
time he'd been a member of the channel that those two were always good for a   
laugh, even if one of them did have the bad habit of always nagging   
RoterRitter.   
----   
Tchernobyl Come, Patsy!   
* Tchernobyl walks away   
Shenalia Oh, I see, running away eh? YOU YELLOW BASTARD! Come back here and pay what's   
coming to you!   
Shenalia I'll bite your legs off!   
----   
Shinji shook his head. Those two were complete nuts. He blinked as a new window   
appeared, from RoterRitter. He hadn't noticed she was in the channel while   
those two were goofing off.   
----   
RoterRitter Hey there handsome, what's up?   
Momoku …handsome?   
RoterRitter What, can't I call a friend handsome? :-P   
Momoku It's not that, it's more that I'm not really used to being called that…   
RoterRitter Ah never mind, it's not as if I've actually SEEN you yet :-P Although I want   
to.   
Momoku Same here, I want to meet you too…   
RoterRitter :) Anyway, what's going on over there?   
Momoku Oh, nothing much…my guardian made some horrible food tonight...again. I swear, she   
couldn't cook to save her life.   
RoterRitter There, there, you'll survive :-P   
RoterRitter Oh, I've been meaning to ask…guardian? Why don't you live with your parents?   
Momoku I don't really want to live with my father…   
RoterRitter Don't like him, huh?   
Momoku Something like that…   
RoterRitter And your mom?   
----   
Shinji felt his throat tighten. He waited a bit, his feelings warring inside of   
him. Part of him didn't want to tell her, but part of him did. He wanted to   
share this with his only real …friend…But it was something he had kept to   
himself for so long, he wasn't sure if he was ready to let someone else on to   
this. His internal debate lasted several minutes, which prompted RoterRitter   
to, thankfully, answer her question on her own.   
----   
RoterRitter You still there…?   
Momoku Yeah.   
RoterRitter …She's dead, isn't she?   
----   
She had guessed it. Drawing a deep breath, he continued typing.   
----   
* Momoku nods   
RoterRitter Sorry, I shouldn't have asked.   
Momoku It's all right, you couldn't have known.   
RoterRitter "All right", like hell it is. You're obviously still hurting…but   
never mind that. Let's not dwell on it.   
Momoku Okay.   
RoterRitter Although…   
Momoku ?   
----   
She bit her lip. Indirectly, he had shared something with her that he   
apparently didn't normally talk about. Now, she felt that she had to pay him   
back in kind. Her brain screamed at her to ignore the feeling, to just shrug   
it aside like everything else, after all, he wasn't important.   
  
Still, she felt that this was someone she could understand…someone like her.   
Possibly, someone who could understand her?   
  
She just didn't know.   
----   
Momoku Are you there? You ok?   
RoterRitter Yeah… just had something on my mind.   
Momoku Ah, ok.   
RoterRitter Say…I'll let you on to a secret of my own…   
Momoku ?   
RoterRitter After you shared that one with me…   
Momoku You don't have to, you know…   
RoterRitter But I want to   
Momoku …Okay, then…   
RoterRitter I'm…just like you.   
Momoku …?   
RoterRitter I can't stand my father…and my mother is dead, too. I do have a   
step-mom, but I hate her.   
Momoku Oh…I'm sorry to hear that.   
RoterRitter It's all right, I've been managing…and I've told you already,   
stop apologizing!   
Momoku Gomen!   
Momoku er..oops.   
* RoterRitter glares   
RoterRitter Anyway... I'm glad I told you this. It feels better to share it   
with someone, instead of keeping it all inside, don't you think?   
Momoku Yeah.   
Momoku I'd better go now, though, I have to leave early…   
RoterRitter Leaving me alone?? How can you! * sob *   
Momoku Gomen! I don't mean to!   
RoterRitter Just kidding, just kidding ;)   
Momoku Not funny   
RoterRitter Bite me :-P why do you have to leave early, anyway?   
Momoku My teacher told me to drop something off at a classmates' place…   
----   
He sincerely hoped she'd buy that…after all, it was NERV stuff, he couldn't   
really talk about it.   
----   
RoterRitter Ah. Homework?   
Momoku Yeah, something like that. She wasn't there yesterday.   
RoterRitter She?   
RoterRitter You're going to a GIRL'S place? Alone?   
Momoku Er…yeah?   
RoterRitter My my, quite the Casanova!   
Momoku It's not like that!   
RoterRitter Suuuure. And now you're leaving me alone for her. Hmph!   
Momoku No! it's really not like that! She's just a classmate, I barely even   
know her anyway! And what do you mean by 'leaving you alone'?   
RoterRitter Ah, nothing, nothing. So, how is this girl like?   
Momoku Quiet. Withdrawn. You barely even notice she's there…but still…   
RoterRitter But?   
Momoku But she changes as soon as she talks to someone else…she turns   
more…how could I say it…   
RoterRitter ?   
---   
The seconds ticked by as the girl waited for an explanation. As the seconds   
dragged into a minute, she raised an eyebrow, fingers ready to ask whether he   
was still there, but was cut off when the answer appeared.   
---   
Momoku Vibrant. Alive. Almost as if she had just woken up from a deep sleep…like Sleeping   
Beauty, if you will.   
---   
She blinked. Could he possibly be…   
---   
RoterRitter Ah, so she's in love with someone? Who? You?   
Momoku No! Nothing like that…she just seems to open up more to this person   
than anyone else…   
---   
The redhead sagged back into her chair, a worried frown on her face. He almost   
seemed to be…gushing about this girl.   
  
She didn't like this one bit.   
  
On his side of the globe, Shinji had his own worries. It wasn't only   
Ayanami…his own father opened up when talking to her, whereas alone, both   
seemed to be chiseled out of ice. He wanted to do the same… be able to make   
his father open up.   
  
Hmm…maybe he should ask RoterRitter about this…   
----   
RoterRitter Definitely some honey of hers.   
Momoku No…an adult.   
RoterRitter WHAT??? Ewww, disgusting!   
Momoku No! What are you thinking of! Not like that!   
----   
…Or not.   
-----   
RoterRitter What THEN??   
Momoku Guess I better explain the best I can…it all started with my   
mother's death.   
RoterRitter You don't have to tell me this if you don't want to. Really.   
Momoku No, I want to. After she died, my father…left me alone.   
RoterRitter Is that a bad thing?   
Momoku Yes…he completely left me…let my grandparents raise me since I was a   
child.   
RoterRitter What??? Sounds like he abandoned you when you most needed him!   
Momoku He called me back a few weeks ago…but now he seems different, yet   
the same.   
RoterRitter And what does this have to do with this girl?   
Momoku I'm coming to that. He seemed different in that he's cold…so cold.   
He doesn't seem to care about anything…   
Momoku Yet he opens up to this girl when he sees her, and she the same…   
RoterRitter Still sounds like some perverse fetish to me…   
Momoku I heard he's raised her since she was a small child.   
RoterRitter ….if he raised her, why didn't he raise YOU? Of all people,   
you'd think he'd raise his own son…   
Momoku I don't know…I really don't know. But I have to ask this girl how   
she does that.   
RoterRitter Does what?   
Momoku Make him…let go of that coldness.   
RoterRitter Sounds like you've got a lot planned for tomorrow. And I best   
go myself, now…   
RoterRitter Isn't it late over there anyway? You should be in bed! I'd be at that time…   
Momoku You're right…I'll go.   
RoterRitter Of course I'm right ;) Night!   
Momoku Goodnight!   
----   
Shinji smiled… he felt good having talked, and now felt he could actually do   
what he intended.   
  
Talk to the blue haired girl, so he could talk to his father.   
  
On the other side of the world, the young girl hugged herself, a storm of   
thoughts plaguing her mind. Had she done the right thing, telling this…boy   
what she had kept away from everyone else? And why did she feel…uncomfortable   
when he talked about that other girl? Why did she still feel like that?   
  
And why was she so irritated at how he thought about the other girl?   
  
-----   
  
Shinji was aghast. He couldn't believe Rei lived in this dump. She was worse   
off than he was, not that he should be complaining. Except for the beer cans,   
living with Misato wasn't that bad.   
  
After checking that he was at the right apartment, Shinji pressed on the   
doorbell. Noting the lack sound from said doorbell, he stood a moment,   
deciding to open the door.   
  
"Uhm…excuse me?" Silence was his only answer. "Excuse me, it's Shinji Ikari.   
I'm coming in, Miss Ayanami…" He started down the hallway, pausing only to   
remove his shoes. As he entered her room, he surveyed the surroundings.   
  
Dusty. Bleak. Desolate. The fact that some items were scattered around the room   
was the only thing hinting that anyone lived here. He noticed a pair of   
glasses, and picked them up. "Are these hers?" He mumbled to himself. He   
didn't know what drove him to do so, but he put the glasses on.   
  
Which was when he heard a sound…of a shower curtain opening. He slowly turned   
around, still wearing the glasses, to face a very…wet and… naked …Ayanami Rei,   
who was holding a towel above herself.   
  
"Er..I…well, uhm…" Not good, he thought. Really not good, especially when she   
frowned and started towards him. "I didn't mean to," he stuttered, stepping   
back as she advanced, pushing against the drawers. She snatched the glasses   
off of his nose, causing him to step back even more. Pressed up against the   
drawers, he was unable to move back, and lost his footing. He pitched forward,   
trying to hold on to something, anything, and grabbed for the nearest hold…the   
quite-naked girl in front of him. She, being lighter than he was, didn't offer   
quite enough hold to support Shinji, and was pushed down with him, all the   
while holding the glasses high, as to not damage them.   
  
Silence reigned for a few minutes, as Shinji gazed directly into Rei's eyes,   
forcing himself not to look anywhere else, but at the same time unable to   
move. She gazed back in silence, her face blank.   
  
"Will you get off?" she asked quietly, her face still impassive. Shinji blinked   
in confusion, then looked down at his left hand. Which was on her right   
breast.   
  
"Ack! I-I…!" he said, almost jumping away from her. She looked at him for   
another few seconds, and stood up. Shinji immediately backed away, his hand   
still in the air as he watched her turn away. Unconsciously, he brought it   
back down, rubbing his fingers together where they had touched her.   
  
"What is it?" she asked, while putting on some underwear.   
  
"Well, I mean, I was…" Shinji said, stumbling over his words as he looked away.   
"I was asked to, so…" he continued, sneaking another glance at her before   
looking away once more. "What was it? The card…" he said to himself "Yo-your   
card! It's been renewed! S-so I was asked to deliver it." Why was this being   
so hard to say, he thought as he gulped. "I didn't mean f-for any of this to   
happen…Ritsuko asked that I give it to you. It's true. I rang your bell, but   
there was no reply, and the door was unlocked, so…" he was interrupted by the   
sound of a door closing. Rei had left, which puzzled Shinji a moment before he   
ran out to follow her to NERV. The entire trip was in silence, the only noise   
being Shinji's thoughts.   
  
He figured she must hate him right now, after that…accident. She was being   
really cold and distant, staying about a dozen feet ahead of him. He was   
trying to think of how to apologize, but couldn't find anything appropriate to   
say to the lavender haired girl in front of him. Lost in his thoughts after   
stepping off of the train, he didn't notice as she slowly pulled ahead.   
  
He caught up with her as she slid her card in the slot to open the door. As it   
failed to work, she looked up at it, and tried again to the same results. A   
second card passed in the slot, and was validated, causing the door to slowly   
open. Shinji smiled as she looked at him. "This is your new card. Ritsuko   
asked me to deliver it to you." His smile faded and she snatched the card   
out of his hand without a word. Using his own card to open the door, he   
quickly caught up to her on the stairs. Again, he tried to apologize to her.   
  
"I'm sorry."   
  
"For what?" She asked, still not looking at him.   
  
For what? Had she forgotten what had happened earlier? Best let the matter   
drop…   
  
But he couldn't stop mulling about what he had seen… This girl, and his father,   
seemingly chatting together like if they had known each other for years…like a   
family. He had seen caring on his father's face at that moment, which had been   
the most expressive his stony-faced father had seemed to be since…since he'd   
arrived in this city.   
  
Shinji mentally shook his head…No, since before that. Since…since his mother   
had died.   
  
He focused back on the girl in front of him. The girl who seemed to see a part   
of his father he couldn't, who seemed to shatter his icy countenance.   
  
He had to figure out why.   
  
"Aren't you going to have a re-activation experiment today?" He asked, kicking   
himself. He was still running away from his father...However, his temporary   
companion's silence intrigued him. "Say, aren't you scared?" he pressed,   
walking down a step closer to her. Again, no response. "Aren't you afraid of   
piloting Unit 00?" he continued, in a more subdued voice.   
  
"Why?" she asked, answering his question with one of her own.   
  
"I heard you were hurt pretty badly in an earlier experiment, so I thought you   
might be…" Shinji drifted off, leaving the rest of his statement open. Again,   
she confused him with a question of her own.   
  
"Aren't you Commander Ikari's son?"   
  
"Yeah," he answered, wondering what this could possibly have to do with his   
father.   
  
"Don't you have faith in your own father's work?"   
  
…Whaaaat? Of all things, she had to ask that?   
  
"Of course not! How could I trust him?" Hell, the bastard had abandoned him   
years ago…why should he deserve trust? He blinked, confused as Rei stepped up   
to him, glaring at him. "What?"   
  
The slap she gave him rang in his ears, similar to the stinging pain on his   
cheek after she left.   
  
After that, he wondered why he was even watching her re-activation test, and   
why he was glad everything had gone all right. He figured that's just how he   
was. His musings were dispelled as he heard the announcement.   
  
"Pilot Ikari, prepare for immediate deployment in Unit 01." Another Angel. Just   
what he needed…   
  
  
Shinji woke up, once again in the NERV infirmary. He couldn't really call it   
unfamiliar now, considering the number of times he had been in one of these   
rooms. He then noticed someone with a mop of blue hair gazing at him.   
  
"Ayanami…" he whispered.   
  
"I'm here to brief you on the Operation Yashima timetable. The operation will   
begin at midnight, 00:00 hours," she said, pausing to fish out a small book   
from a pocket. "Pilots Ikari and Ayanami will arrive at the cage by 17:30. At   
18:00, Units 00 and 01 will activate. At 18:05, both units must be deployed.   
They will arrive at the temporary base on Mount Futago at 18:30. There, they   
will await further orders. The Operation will begin promptly at midnight." She   
reached under the trolley she had in front of her, and pulled out something in   
a plastic wrapper. "This is the new one, " she said, as the plug suit landed   
on Shinji. Wearily, he sat up in the bed, not noticing as the bedsheets   
slipped down quite low. "Don't show up looking like that." Rei continued,   
after blinking once.   
  
Not understanding, Shinji gazed at her with a blank look, then looked down.   
Turning beet-red, he grabbed the sheets, pulling them back up to cover his   
body. "Gomen!" he blurted, and rested his head on his knees. "I've been   
apologizing since yesterday," he whispered, lifting it back up. He smelled   
something, and looked at the trolley.   
  
"Your meal."   
  
Shinji looked away. "I don't want to eat anything."   
  
"We'll be departing in sixty minutes."   
  
"Do I really have to pilot the EVA again?" Especially considering the fact he   
had just been boiled alive in the LCL none too long ago? Which was quite   
painful, indeed, but no one had asked him how he felt…   
  
"Yes, you do."   
  
"…I don't want to." He said, resting his head on the bedsheets once more. He   
didn't want any more pain. "Maybe you can be so cool about it, because you   
haven't had the kind of experiences I've had yet. I don't want to go through   
it again." No more.   
  
"Then, you can stay here in bed."   
  
Huh? Shinji looked back at her. She was still gazing at him, her face a blank   
mask. "What do you mean by that?"   
  
"I'll pilot Unit 01. Dr. Akagi is already prepared to rewrite the personal data   
files."   
  
"Ritsuko is…"   
  
"I'm leaving. Captain Katsuragi and Dr. Akagi are waiting for me." She turned   
away, and walked out of the door, leaving Shinji to his thoughts. "Goodbye."   
  
He could stay in bed, while Rei piloted Unit 01? That sounded too good to be   
true…he wanted to, but figured it was like everything else. That somehow, he'd   
still land in the EVA, whether he liked it or not. He thought he would much   
rather do so on his own, than to be forced.   
  
  
Shinji sat in the changing room; going over the orders they had received.   
  
"Maybe…this is our last day alive." He said to the figure behind the screen,   
his confidence shaken by the events of the day. And who was to say she'd   
really protect him? After what happened earlier at her apartment…she might be   
the type to hold a grudge…   
  
"Why do you say that?" "She said, applying the finishing touches on her plug   
suit. "You won't die. I'll protect you."   
  
Or maybe she wasn't, he thought, as he looked again at her silhouette through   
the screen.   
  
  
He sat staring into the dark valley, waiting for the operation to start. On the   
other side of the scaffolds, Rei mirrored the action. Listening to the wind,   
he tried again to find out more about Rei, trying to pierce her mystery.   
  
"Why do you pilot this?"   
  
He watched Rei look down at her feet before she answered. "Because I am bonded   
to it."   
  
"Bonded?"   
  
"Yes, it's a bond."   
  
"You mean to my father?"   
  
"To all people."   
  
"You're very strong, Ayanami."   
  
"I have nothing else."   
  
"What do you mean, you have nothing else?" He thought back…she didn't have a   
family, Misato had told him, or friends, as Toji and Kensuke had said the day   
before. Yet he still couldn't fathom what she meant.   
  
"It's time. Let's go. Goodbye."   
  
  
"AYANAMI!" Shinji yelled, pushing the computer-visor off of his head. Unit 01   
ripped off Unit 00's dorsal armor, exposing the Entry Plug. It was immediately   
released from the Unit, expelling LCL in all directions. Unit 01 grabbed the   
plug, and set it down on the ground even as the heat started to melt the   
armor. Getting out of his own entry plug, he ran towards Rei's, in a fashion   
eerily similar to his father's actions. He struggled, forcing the hatch open,   
and leaned in. "Ayanami! Are you all right?" he yelled, as he saw her still   
form. "Ayanami!"   
  
Ever so slowly, she opened her eyes, and looked up at him, her gaze focusing on   
his face. She saw tears forming in his eyes, but didn't let her confusion show   
on her face.   
  
Shinji leaned into the plug some more, a tight, small smile on his face. "Don't   
say…don't say you have nothing else. Don't say goodbye when you leave on a   
mission. It's too sad…" he said, then started crying. Thank God she's   
alive…thank God… He repeated this thought in his mind, as he continued to cry.   
He didn't notice Rei sitting up, a the confusion she felt finally showing on   
her face.   
  
"Why are you crying?" She asked, receiving no answer from the still crying boy.   
She looked away. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to do or feel at a time like   
this."   
  
Shinji looked up, tears still welling in his eyes. He thought of something   
that, to his knowledge, she had never done for anyone else, except his father.   
Something that only his father had seen, and, inadvertently by spying with   
Unit 01, something he had seen as well.   
  
"You could try smiling." She looked straight at him, her eyes widening. Slowly,   
her lips turned upwards, showing him one of the most beautiful sights he had   
ever seen.   
  
Ayanami Rei, smiling.   
  
He still didn't know what drove her, or anything else about her…but now, he   
knew with certainty she was a normal girl.   
  
  
Lying on his bed, Shinji Ikari gazed towards the ceiling, trying to sleep. He   
had logged on IRC, but couldn't find RoterRitter. She had talked about an   
important message, but had left early. Wondering what it could be, his mind   
drifted back to the events of the day. He had piloted Unit 01 again…the thing   
that caused him such pain. But today, he had also saved someone. Someone, he   
found, that he considered important. Someone he could count on, which was   
something rare in his experience.   
  
Smiling, he finally let sleep claim him.   
  
  
  
Gloved hands rested on the desk, as their owner leaned back into his chair.   
Reports of the interaction between the Second and Third Children lay under the   
hands, as the man considered their contents. He glanced at them, his mask   
breaking for a moment. Yet it was all that was needed to shatter his image. He   
was only grateful no one could see him at the moment, not even the old   
professor, who would most likely just crack another joke. The man stood up,   
and sighed as he looked out the window, wishing.   
  
Wishing of things that he wanted to be, but never could or would be.   
  
  
  



	7. Chapter Seven: A New Face

  
  
  
  
Chapter 7: A New Face   
  
  
  
  
  
{{*** Now talking in #Rosengärten.   
*** Topic is 'Where RoterRitter is moving! || Song of the Week: Johann   
Sebastian Bach – II Air'   
* Ebondragon suddenly has a vision of Yoda back in his adolescence. *SHUDDER*   
Momoku Moving? Where to?   
Tchernobyl Don't know yet. She still wants to talk to you, for something. If   
you get my drift ;) *wink wink nudge nudge*   
Momoku ?   
Tchernobyl Come on, what are you two lovebirds talking about?   
Momoku It's not like that!   
Coyotegirl: YodaDrunk: Slap that bitch's ass I will, hrmmmm? Skanky-ass   
leather pants she has!   
Shenalia .... AAAGH   
Ebondragon Ew!   
Bishop O_O   
JS bwahaha   
Tchernobyl Momoku: Suuuuure. She basically ignores us now when you're on,   
and doesn't stay around very long when you aren't.   
----   
Shinji blinked again, as he had been for the last few minutes. It was an   
ongoing habit of Tchernobyl to insinuate things between him and RoterRitter,   
but Shinji couldn't imagine anything actually happening. . . although Tcher was   
bringing up some valid points. . .   
----   
Ebondragon Clearly when Yoda said "Deal with dark side, forever dominate   
your destiny it will." he was speaking from experience.   
* Coyotegirl falls over giggling   
* Ebondragon also ponders the idea of a light-ridingcrop instead of a   
light-saber. *FLRRD*   
Shenalia .....   
Shenalia that would HURT   
Momoku ??? Flrrd?   
Tchernobyl Typo of flees. By yours truly. I'm not called the typo king for   
nothing!   
Coyotegirl bwahaaa   
* Ebondragon chuckles   
Momoku . . ..right.   
JS YodaStoned: All around us the Force is... feel it I do... from every   
living being it emanates, powering the universe it does. (Wait, does anyone   
else notice that Yoda stoned would jabber on the same way he was when he   
wasn't stoned? Or maybe... we haven't seen him sober...)   
* Ebondragon facepalms. "Dear lord, I can see it now, yoda wearing tie-die,   
sunglasses, and a peace medallion.   
* Shenalia ....   
* Shenalia suddenly has a vision of Mace Windu, in Pimp gear.   
Ebondragon Heh.   
Ebondragon: Learning you are.   
* crazyfurries winces. "Let's NOT venture to what princess Amidala will be   
wearing."   
Shenalia nonono   
Shenalia we already had Leia in the Jabba slavegirl outfit   
crazyfurries point   
*** RoterRitter has joined #Rosengärten   
Tchernobyl Anyway, Momoku, I'm sure your girlfriend will tell you ALL about   
it soon enough.   
Tchernobyl . . ..like now, for instance. Time for me to run again.   
*** Tchernobyl has quit IRC (Quit: RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!)   
JS She'd be wearing something?   
JS that sorta takes the fun outta her   
RoterRitter . . ..   
RoterRitter and WHAT are you hentais talking about??   
Ebondragon Besides, if we had Amidala it'd take hours just to do her   
hairstyles. :P   
Coyotegirl Fuzzy green plush pants and a tube top. I'd say she'd be more the   
Ecstasy type.   
RoterRitter Ah. Star Wars. Leave it up to you guys to distort anything into   
hentai stuff. . .   
----   
Star Wars? Never heard of that. . . Shinji typed his message to RoterRitter, and   
sent it off while she was distracted by the ongoing discussion.   
----   
Momoku You're moving?   
RoterRitter Wha?   
RoterRitter Oh. Yeah! In a week or two.   
Momoku Where to?   
RoterRitter I was getting around to that :-P I'll be in @*(&_)   
Momoku It did it again.   
RoterRitter What?? Those symbols again?   
Momoku Yeah.   
RoterRitter Damnit! Ah well, I can say it indirectly. I'll be in your   
country soon.   
----   
WHOA. She's coming to Japan?? Shinji felt a huge grin spread on his face,   
until a thought struck him.   
----   
Momoku That's great, but. . .   
RoterRitter But? BUT? We finally might get a chance to meet each other, and   
you say BUT???   
Momoku It's not that!   
RoterRitter What is it then?   
Momoku Why are you moving here, when there's $@&)(*& attacking?   
RoterRitter It didn't come through. . . but I think I know what you mean. After   
all, there's only one thing attacking your country right now :-P   
RoterRitter To answer your question, it's a student exchange thing. Don't   
worry, I don't think the school would put me anywhere NEAR the attacks.   
----   
Asuka grinned to herself for coming up so quickly with such a perfect excuse,   
although she didn't want to lie to him. . .but she couldn't help it, NERV being   
the super-secretive agency it was. She couldn't talk about much concerning   
the Evas, the Angels, or anything NERV, for that matter.   
  
Now to see if he actually bought the excuse.   
----   
Momoku Ah. . .still. Why this country of all places?   
RoterRitter The school over there is run by the brother of my school's   
director, so it's a matter of convenience, really.   
RoterRitter But that aside, we'll have to try to plan a meeting :)   
Momoku Yeah! If they let me out of here, that is. . .   
RoterRitter What do you mean by that?   
Momoku Nothing much. . .I just have so much to do, I'll be hard pressed to   
actually schedule something. . .}}   
  
She had left to pack soon after that. . .and if she was already packing a few   
WEEKS ahead of time, then she must have a LOT of stuff, Shinji mused. . .   
  
The curious thing was that the next morning, Misato had mentioned to him that   
the Second Child and her Evangelion, Unit 02, were being transferred to   
Tokyo-3 from Nerv Third Branch in Germany.   
  
HER Evangelion.   
  
Meaning that the Second Child was female.   
  
From the Third Branch. In Germany.   
  
Female. From Germany. Being transferred to Japan.   
  
To the mind of anyone other than one Shinji Ikari, they might have jumped to   
all sorts of conclusions. He, however, saw the notion that crept into his   
mind as a downright impossibility. First off, RoterRitter had said that she'd   
be transferred somewhere far from Tokyo-3, as to keep away from any Angel   
attack. . .and an Eva pilot would be sent directly to the fortified city.   
  
Still, people would most likely transfer out of the city, even the country if   
possible, as a lot of his classmates had done. After all, no one wanted to   
live in a war zone. RoterRitter was braving this anyway. Shinji would have to   
ask Misato a bit more about transfer students. . .   
  
But if he took in the coincidence factor, there would be a small, nay, a tiny   
possibility that his online correspondent would be the Eva pilot coming   
NERV's way.   
  
Which was why he should have been glad that Misato had taken him along to pick   
up the Second Child, although he didn't know exactly where that would be.   
  
One small detail reined in his enthusiasm, however.   
  
"A Mig-55 D Transport Helicopter! I never thought I'd have the chance to fly   
in one. Thank God I have buddy like you, eh Shinji?"   
  
"Eh??" Above the din of the spinning blades, Shinji hadn't heard a word his   
friend had said. He eyed his other friend with a jaundiced eye as he made a   
fool out of himself, talking about the hat he had bought, supposedly "for   
this occasion." As if Toji could've predicted this. . .Shinji sighed as his   
friend apparently fell for Misato's "date" ploy. He thought back to one of   
his earlier questions, and faced his superior officer once more. "Where are   
we headed?"   
  
"We'll take a little jaunt across the Pacific on that gorgeous cruiser."   
  
A cruiser, which turned out to be anything but gorgeous to anyone except his   
Army Nerd friend.   
  
"Wow! Five aircraft carriers and four battleships! What a fleet!"   
  
Some others were less impressed. "That's your 'gorgeous cruiser'?"   
  
"She sure is! The pride of the U.N, the 'Over The Rainbow'"   
  
"Sure is big. . ."   
  
"Hmph," grunted the mauve-haired leader of the group. "I'm surprised that such   
a relic is still afloat."   
  
"Are you crazy?" Cried out the outraged Kensuke. "It's a vintage model from   
right before the Second Impact."   
  
**********   
  
Down on the deck, a figure stood against the railing, it's almost waist-length   
hair flowing in the draft caused by the descending helicopter. She had been   
told the Third Child, the one who had already single handedly destroyed three   
Angels would be here as well. She imagined what he would look like.   
  
Mmmm. . .a much younger version of Kaji, she mused, giggling to herself. As the   
helicopter landed, she abruptly turned around and headed towards the deck   
itself.   
  
**********   
Shinji stretched, letting himself being guided towards the one figure that   
seemed to be misplaced on this massive ship.   
  
A young but tall girl waited, one of her hands on her hip, her reddish-orange   
hair flowing all over due to the breeze, as was her sundress, which left   
little to imagination about her body. Sky blue eyes gazed out from a face   
that was set in a smirk, seemingly gazing at those in front of her with   
contempt and superiority. He blinked a few times, his mouth dry. Every part   
of her was different from what he was used to in school. . .it made her, for lack   
of a better word. . .intriguing.   
  
"Hello, Misato! How have you been?"   
  
"Fine, How 'bout you? You've grown some, haven't you?"   
  
"And how! I'm not just taller, my figure's filled out as well." Shinji's   
eyebrow rose at this. She's certainly quite full of herself. . .sounds like   
someone else I know, he mused, hiding a grin. He'd figure out today if this   
whole menagerie was just a big coincidence or not. Shinji shook the thought   
out of his head and paid more attention to Misato as she introduced his   
future colleague.   
  
"This is the pilot of Evangelion Unit 02, the Second Child, Soryu Asuka   
Langley."   
  
Before anything else could be said, the wind decided to add it's own piece of   
mind, blowing the red haired girl's sundress to some rather indecent heights,   
offering everyone looking a view of her underwear.   
  
She followed this up by formally introducing her right hand to the three boys'   
faces.   
  
Damnit! Talk about bad first impressions, she raged inwardly, and glared at   
all three boys.   
  
"What did you do that for?!" She eyed the jock as he yelled at her. He had   
caught an even closer look at her panties, as he had been trying to pull out   
his hat from under her foot.   
  
"That's the viewing fee. Quite a bargain, don't you think?" Honestly, this guy   
had no decency.   
  
She didn't know how right her statement would prove to be.   
  
"What? You think it's worth that?! Here, take a look at mine."   
  
Eh? He wouldn't dare. . .   
  
He did.   
  
*SMACK* "YOU PERVERTED DORK!" She smirked in satisfaction at his downcast   
expression, and both slap marks visible on his face. Now then, back to   
business. . ."So, which one is the famous Third Child?" She asked, looking at the   
two boys in front of her. A nagging doubt surfaced in her head, as she turned   
to look at the jock, her voice dripping with disgust. "Don't tell me it's   
him. . ." Gods, she could never live down the humiliation. . .   
  
"Don't worry, here he is."   
  
So, here was the famous Third Child. The boy who had defeated two Angels   
single-handedly and a third with only a minor assist from the First Child.   
Funny. . .somehow, she had expected him to be. . .taller. Hell, he was shorter than   
her! She sure hadn't expected a body builder, but at least some a bit   
more. . .physically fit. Like the jock. Thankfully, he wasn't Pilot material, as   
she had first classified him to be.   
  
She did have to admit the Third Child was kinda cute. . . but not in the same   
league as Kaji-sempai. Didn't seem to talk much, either, unlike her recent   
online friend. . .talking with him was no problem at all. She blinked, wondering   
where that thought had come from, and looked into the boy's eyes. . .a deep, dark   
blue, like an ocean holding more in its depths than you see at first glance.   
She shook off the strange feeling, frowning at the boy.   
  
"Well, he looks kinda dull. . ."   
  
Just as she had suspected. Not so much as a squeak in his own defense, just a   
frown.   
  
So, this kid, this so called "Third Child" – defeater of Angels, the   
designated pilot of Evangelion Unit 01 of whom Kaji-sempai had spoken so   
highly – was the shy, silent, submissive type.   
  
In other words, a wimp.   
  
It could be worse, she though, as she once more passed a disgusted eye over   
the jock   
  
Shinji paid close attention to those around him as he listened to the Captain   
talk with Misato, glancing over at the pilot of Eva 02. . .Asuka, if he   
remembered her name correctly. She swelled with pride as the Captain   
mentioned her, even if it was only for a brief moment. She seemed very full   
of herself, and her attitude down on the deck didn't point any differently.   
Exactly like RoterRitter, come to think of it. . . although he couldn't really   
believe his online friend was this. . .beauty standing next to him. Something   
like that would just never happen to him. Yet one could always hope. . .the   
journey was still far from done, he would find out more about EVA 02's pilot.   
  
**********   
  
Although he'd have to be alone, for that. . .tea with the group wasn't exactly the   
best place to find out more about people. In fact, it was pretty silent the   
whole time. Everyone seemed to be waiting for the adults to say something. . .   
  
"I understand you're living with Katsuragi here, aren't you?   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"Is she still wild in bed?" Shinji blinked as he watched everyone pull back in   
horror.   
  
Misato, for her part, was struck speechless for a split second, then turned   
beet red. "Wha. . .wha. . ..WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING???" She yelled into the man's face,   
who had identified himself as Kaji. Shinji continued blinking, not seeing why   
everyone had a look of horror on their face.   
  
"So, it is true, Mister Ikari Shinji?"   
  
"Well. . ." he said, shrugging. That's when the man's words struck him. "Say. . .how   
do you know my name?"   
  
"Well, I ought to know you! You're pretty famous in our business. The Third   
Child, who piloted in Eva in battle with no training."   
  
Shinji shrugged again, catching a glimpse of the glare being sent at him by   
the red-head. "It was just luck. . ."   
  
Luck is right. . .there's no way someone like him could ever pilot an Eva, thought   
Asuka as she glared at the boy next to her. Noticing her guardian standing   
up, she followed suit, casting one last glance at the boy.   
  
**********   
  
"So, what do you think about Mister Shinji Ikari?" Kaji's voice pierced   
through her musings as she swung on the railing.   
  
"He's boring. That's the great Third Child? What a disappointment." He must   
have had beginner's luck in the previous battles. . .   
  
"Yet his sync ratio was well over 40% in combat with no training. . ."   
  
WHAT? "That can't be!" She herself, all those years ago, had only started out   
with a quarter of that. Right now she had the best scores, of course, but for   
a newbie to start out that high. . .she had to get to the bottom of this.   
  
  
**********   
  
"That Mr. Kaji seemed pretty lively. . ."   
  
"He hasn't changed at all, that jerk!" Suddenly, a new voice rang out in the   
stairway.   
  
"Hey, Third Child!" Shinji turned his eyes towards the top of the stairs,   
where the Second Child seemed to glare down at him. "Come with me."   
  
**********   
  
"Red? I didn't know that Unit 02 was red." Red. . .Rot was red, in German. . .Shinji   
was having a harder and harder time trying to prove his theory wrong, as more   
and more facts piled up pointing towards his hunch being right.   
  
  
Doesn't seem to know that much, does he. . . "The color isn't the only difference.   
After all, Units 00 and 01 were created as part of a developing process,   
prototype and test type. The fact that it synchronized with an untrained   
pilot like you is proof of that. However, Unit 02 is a little different."   
Shinji gazed up at her as she stood perched on the back of Unit 02. . .or rather,   
sat on her high horse and ranted about how her Unit was the best. "Created   
for actual combat conditions, this is the world's first true Evangelion. This   
is the final model!" Heh. . .the others seem to work pretty well, if you ask   
me. . .he stumbled, trying to keep his balance, as the whole boat shook under his   
feet.   
  
"What was that?"   
  
"An undersea shock wave! Something exploded nearby. . ."   
  
"What's that?" he yelled as they surveyed the rest of the fleet, and was   
treated to the display of one of the ships blowing up. The explosion was   
followed by a geyser of water, moving through the boats at an incredible   
speed. "Is that an Angel???"   
  
"Is it a real one?" asked his companion.   
  
"We've got to go back and find Misato!"   
  
"Not if I can help it. . ." grinned the redhead, and grabbed Shinji's wrist.   
"C'mon!"   
  
"Where are you taking me?" he asked, dragged along by EVA 02's pilot after she   
had grabbed a duffel bag. They paused next to a flight of stairs.   
  
"Just wait here a second."   
  
Wha? She wanted him to wait, during an Angel attack? "I can't believe this. . ."   
he gulped and sat down as he started to hear noises incredibly similar to   
those of clothes being taken off. . .he waited a bit, then ventured a glance.   
  
"Don't peep, you pervert!" she said, noticing his gaze even though she had her   
back towards him.   
  
"Gomen!" How the hell did she do that?   
  
"Why are all boys such perverted jerks?" she grumbled, just loud enough so he   
could hear her. She flipped her long hair back, and pressed the button on her   
suit. Immediately, it molded itself to her figure. Now was the chance to   
prove herself to everyone, to prove she was better than even the so called   
great Third Child. . . "Here we go, Asuka. . ."   
  
  
Shinji looked up at the redhead as the spare plug suit landed in his arms. She   
only smirked at him. "Let's go."   
  
"Wha?"   
  
"Come with me!" she said, pointing for emphasis. First step to proving herself   
to the others was to prove herself better to the only one tainting her   
reputation.   
  
"With a female plugsuit? And what are they for, anyway?"   
  
"Anta baka?" She asked, after he had changed into the suit. "We're going out   
to beat the angel with my Unit 02!"   
  
"Don't you need Misato's approval??"   
  
"I'll get it after I beat it."   
  
**********   
  
Shinji tried to hide his discomfort of wearing the suit by making notes of   
everything in the plug. He didn't want to think about the suit itself, as it   
was squeezing him far too tightly in some areas, and felt wide open on   
others. Definitely the wrong gender for this Thing   
  
"Beginning activation sequence, confirmed. Opening nerve-link channels,   
confirmed. Engaging cardiac monitor, confirmed. Synchronization start!"   
Shinji watched as the kaleidoscope of color shone around them both, as he sat   
against the side of the pilot's seat. Then the plug filled with red letters,   
and a familiar beeping made itself heard.   
  
"Program error? What happened?"   
  
"Thought noise! I told you not to disturb me!" she growled, and turned around   
as he didn't seem to understand. "You're thinking in Japanese. Think in   
German!"   
  
"Okay. . .Pachelbel, Bach..."   
  
Asuka blinked. Then frowned. "Baka! Enough already," she said, facing forward   
once more. "Switch language to basic Japanese." This time, the unit   
activated. "Eva 02 activated!"   
  
This apparently caused quite a commotion on the aircraft carrier, as two   
voices seemed to fight for the microphone. He did manage to decipher a small   
snippet, though.   
  
"Type B equipment? If we fall in the sea, we're done for!"   
  
"Then we just have to not fall!"   
  
"It's coming!"   
  
"Launching!"   
  
Shinji held on to the seat as the Unit leaped up from it's crouch, landing   
perfectly on one of the next boats. He looked at the Unit's pilot once more,   
then at his own plug suit. Damn, I have to get out of this thing, he thought.   
This is already starting to hurt. . .   
  
*******   
  
"Major! The Third Child's sync rate just spiked past the Second Child's!"   
  
Back on the aircraft carrier, technicians continued to monitor the Evas and   
the pilots.   
  
Had Shinji known of these events, he would probably have reined in his   
thoughts a bit.   
  
Seemingly with a mind of it's own, or rather one of the Pilot's mind, the EVA   
grabbed the tarp it had kept from the transport boat, and flung it's arms   
open, still clutching the tarp.   
  
"Sync rate back to normal!"   
  
". . ..Kensuke, please tell me you got that."   
  
The bespectacled boy nodded, having recorded the Eva flashing the whole fleet.   
This was going to be great blackmail material. . .   
  
Inside the Eva, things didn't fare any better. Both pilots were blushing   
furiously, one trying to look away from the other, who was glaring at him   
with murder in her eyes.   
  
"WHAT did you just think about? Eh? WHAT???"   
  
"It's not like that!"   
  
"Shinji, Asuka," interrupted Misato's voice over the com-link. "Never mind   
that, keep an eye out for the Angel!"   
  
"There it is!" Shinji yelled. Unit 02 jumped from boat to boat, finally   
heading towards the aircraft carrier.   
  
"Eva 02 landing on deck!" She yelled, and added whisper fiercely to her fellow   
pilot. "And don't you think I've forgotten about that incident, hentai!" Both   
held on for dear life as the whole ship rocked under the impact. Soon, the   
umbilical cable was feeding power to the Eva.   
  
"We don't have any weapons!"   
  
"The progressive knife should be enough!" She struggled with the Angel as it   
landed on deck, but slipped, causing the Eva to fall into the water. Asuka   
valiantly tried to hold on as long as she could, but was forced to release   
her hold as the cable's length came to an end. They both waited until the   
Angel faced towards them again. "This time I'll get it for sure!" she growled   
to herself, and pulled on the control grips.   
  
The Eva remained motionless.   
  
"Wh-what?? It isn't moving!"   
  
"That's because it's B-type equipment."   
  
"What are you going to do?"   
  
"Wha?"   
  
"You're the Third Child, aren't you, do something!"   
  
"What the hell am I supposed to do? This isn't even my Unit!" Shinji frowned   
at the girl, then looked forwards again. "Here it comes!"   
  
The angel sped towards them, resembling a torpedo cutting through water such   
as those that had already been shot at it, until it revealed a rather   
frightening aspect it had kept hidden.   
  
"A MOUTH??"   
  
"That's because it's an Angel," whispered Shinji, moments before the whole Eva   
shook under the impact of the two massive bodies colliding. When everything   
settled down, the Eva was trapped, half in and half out of the Angel's mouth.   
  
"This goes from bad to worse. . ."   
  
"Shut up, you!" yelled the original pilot of Eva 02, until she noticed exactly   
where the other pilot was. Draped all over her, for lack of a better   
explanation. "Hey, get off of me already, you pervert!"   
  
"But we've got to get free!" Why is she worrying about a minor detail like   
that in this kind of situation?   
  
"Asuka, do you read me? Don't let go of it!!"   
  
"Eh??" both pilots blinked.   
  
  
"Shinji grabbed hold of the control grips once more, after the plan had been   
outlined to them. He was ready to start.   
  
Which was more than could be said for the other pilot.   
  
"Hey," she yelled, trying to push him off of her lap, which he had to lean on   
to reach the controls. "Don't use Unit 02 without my permission!" With that,   
she proceeded to pound him on the head.   
  
"Do you guys understand the operation?" Misato asked from the aircraft   
carrier.   
  
"I'll do my best. Agh!" he yelled, as Asuka started to pull on his hair.   
  
  
Mein Gott, he has got to be the biggest pervert on this planet! He's worse   
than the other guy on the ship! She suddenly felt his elbow slip towards a   
rather. . .sensitive place. "HEY, you're touching my. . .get off!"   
  
Shinji was not to be distracted. "But we've got to open its mouth, or we'll be   
killed!" He once more tried to control the Eva on his own, in vain. "Damnit,   
it won't open!" He yelled, looking back at the redhead. She looked back at   
him, their eyes meeting. Something seemed to pass between them, a feeling of   
understanding coursing through both.   
  
"No time left," she said, nodding. Shinji pulled the grips backwards, keeping   
hold of them as Asuka put her hands on his. "Don't get any strange ideas."   
  
"What?" What did she think of him, this wasn't the time for such things!   
  
"Just concentrate on your thoughts!"   
  
"You can say that again!"   
  
Around them, the Eva started moving, pushing against the Angel's jaws. Both   
Children willed the machine to move, their thoughts as one, as they struggled   
to maintain their hold on the grips.   
  
Open. Open. Open! OPEN! OPEN!   
  
Eva 02 lifted its head up, it's mask seemingly splitting open. Four demonic   
eyes flared as the Eva pushed the Angel's mouth open.   
  
The battleships crashed around it, and fired into the creature's gaping maul.   
It expanded, and finally erupted in a massive explosion, sending water   
hundreds of feet in the air.   
  
Eva 02 sailed through the sky, finally landing on the aircraft carrier with   
catlike grace, before falling face forward as the power ran out.   
  
The 6th angel was defeated.   
  
**********   
  
"It was a pretty eventful trip. Was it caused by this, I wonder?" Asked the   
eternally unshaven agent, as he opened up the biohazard suitcase. He gazed at   
the creature inside. "It's frozen inside dura-bakelite, but it's still alive.   
This is the keystone of the Human Instrumentality Project, isn't it?"   
  
"Correct. This is the first human being. This is Adam," answered the Supreme   
Commander of NERV, smirking.   
  
"That's what I figured. . .on a side note, I have a question. . .Why have you screened   
the communications between the Second and the Third Children?"   
  
The smirk faded. "That is no concern of yours, Agent Kaji. Dismissed."   
  
Kaji grinned, nodded, and left the office. Fuyutsuki stepped out of the   
shadows.   
  
"Shall order section two to keep an eye on him?"   
  
"Send the reports directly to me." Fuyutsuki nodded, and left the office,   
leaving Gendo to his own devices.   
  
**********   
  
"Yeah, Mr. Bigshot here is still going to have to see her at headquarters,   
though. I feel for you, man." Toji paused as the door opened. He fell out of   
his seat, and shot back up, pointing in horror at the apparition that walked   
through the door. It picked up a piece of chalk, and started to write on the   
board.   
  
RoterRitter is an exchange student from Germany. . .but not coming here. She was   
in a whole different part of the country. Far away from any danger of Angel   
attacks. Not in the same classroom as he.   
  
Shinji stopped his musing as the girl turned around, flipping her hair for   
full effect. "I'm Soryu Asuka Langley," she said, grinning. "Pleased to meet   
you!"   
  
**********   
  
Shinji flopped onto his bed, and gazed up at the ceiling. RoterRitter hadn't   
been online again, her computer apparently still being moved. He thought back   
to the crazy notion of his that the new pilot would've been RoterRitter.   
  
Yeah, right. Not in a million years, he thought, as he let sleep take over.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	8. Chapter Eight: Chartering New Territory

  
Prior Acquaintances   
  
Chapter 8: Chartering New Territory   
  
  
  
--------------   
  
  
'Hah! I don't need any of them. Who do they think they are?'   
  
The foot stomped the letters once, twice, three times before it's owner turned on her heels and left the area.   
  
Soryu Asuka Langley, designated pilot of Evangelion Unit 02, stomped out of the locker rooms, a storm cloud over her head. It was a blessing, and a curse. On one side, she was the most popular girl in the school, and that after only a day after she'd arrived.   
  
On the other hand, she was being swamped with love letters from all the boys, the sort of attention she didn't want, but always seemed to get. Couldn't they understand she didn't want to have the slightest to do with any of them? Not any of them!   
  
Especially not those three... stooges. She couldn't think of anything better to describe them as. First off, there was that idiot with his camera, which seemed to be surgically grafted to his hand. Also, she had a small inclination about who exactly was taking pictures of her. She had seen them in enough of the boys' hands that morning to work up quite a seething anger.   
  
Then there was the jock... no explanation needed, after his stunt on the aircraft carrier.   
  
And last of all... Shinji. Now, she didn't know what to think of him. He was... complex. He seemed to have a deeper layer than most... no, ALL boys in the school. Yet, he was a wimp, a complete and utter wimp. She still wondered how the hell he could have been chosen as a pilot. She'd have thought someone like the jock would be pilot material. Wait, not like him... BUILT like him. Eva was a strain; she'd be the first one to admit that. . only to herself, of course. She'd only boast how easy it was when in public.   
  
Now, back to Shinji... speak of the devil, there he was.   
  
"Hello," yelled the redhead as she approached her fellow pilot. She frowned as this caused no reaction. Ignoring me, are you? "Shinji!" She grinned as he cringed. "Guten Morgen!"   
  
"Err... G-Guten Morgen..."   
  
"Why so gloomy? After all, I'm greeting you! The most gorgeous and popular girl in this school. You should be honored." She smirked, flicking his nose. She turned around, searching. "Now, where is the other one?"   
  
"Other one?"   
  
What a fool... "The other Pilot, idiot!"   
  
"Oh... Ayanami..." he mumbled, glancing towards the bottom of the stairs. She followed his eyes, looking where they were pointing. Surely enough, the First Child was at the bottom of the stairs, reading a book. Asuka strode down the stairs, musing. How could one better carve a position in the local hierarchy than to befriend the rest of the pilots? After all, she couldn't do much worse than she had with Shinji and the others... talk about bad first impressions.   
  
As she stepped off the staircase, she watched the First Child for a moment. She seemed oblivious to the world, shutting everything out. Asuka jumped up on a wall, inadvertently casting a shadow over the other pilot's book. Seeing this as a way to grab the First Child's attention, she moved again as the blue haired girl moved the book from under the shadow.   
  
"Hello!" No more than a glance answered the redhead's greeting, yet it seemed to tell her to leave its owner alone. Unaffected, she pressed on. "You must be Ayanami Rei, the Prototype's pilot. I'm Asuka! Asuka Soryu Langley." Glancing behind her, she noticed the gathering crowd, watching the two pilots interact. She grinned at being given the occasion to put on a show. "I'm the designated pilot of Evangelion Unit 02. Lets be good friends!"   
  
The First Child's red eyes left Asuka's blue eyes, returning to her book. "Why?"   
  
The redhead seemed to have been... cast aside, as something unimportant. Her resolve faltering ever so slightly, she pressed on once more. "Because it's convenient. You know what I mean?" More for herself than for others, of course, but that wasn't the issue at the moment.   
  
"If I'm ordered to, I will."   
  
Asuka blinked. Of all answers, she hadn't expected that, even considering how Ayanami seemed to be ignoring her. "How odd..." she mumbled, and jumped off the wall. After all, she didn't want to be late for class.   
  
  
-------------   
  
The redhead sat near the middle of the class, glancing around to find known figures. Two of the stooges sat behind her, for which she was grateful. Staring at those two all day would have been pure torture. The Eva-piloting stooge sat a couple of rows and one column away, seemingly staring outside... or was he staring at Ayanami? Narrowing her eyes, she started up the messaging program installed on every notebook, intent on shattering the Third Child's reverie.   
  
::: Hey, Third Child. What's HER problem, anyway? :::   
  
She watched as Shinji noticed the blinking mail notification, turning around after he had read the text, an eyebrow raised.   
  
::: Who? :::   
  
The redhead rolled her eyes, wondering how such a clueless human being could exist.   
  
::: Anta baka? The First Child, of course! :::   
  
::: What do you mean, what's her problem? :::   
  
::: You know, this morning, when I was talking to her. What's with that "if I'm ordered" thing? :::   
  
::: Oh, that... I honestly don't know. She's just really quiet and withdrawn... She doesn't talk much. If she didn't have blue hair, you wouldn't know she was there... :::   
  
::: Eh. So in other words, she's weird. And rude. :::   
  
::: I wouldn't say that... she just doesn't seem to know how to act around people. I think Akagi-san said it best... she's not very good at living. :::   
  
::: Whatever. Anyway, why do you keep looking at her? :::   
  
::: I was? :::   
  
::: Baka. You've been staring at her during the whole class. Is there something going on between you two? :::   
  
::: No! Why are you asking, anyway? :::   
  
Asuka blinked. Why was she asking this, anyway? Ignoring the insinuations her mind was throwing at her, she quickly formulated an excuse.   
  
::: Can't I inquire about the well-being and doings of my associates? We DO all work at the same place remember? :::   
  
::: Oh, okay. . . :::   
  
She sighed in relief; glad he hadn't asked how she knew he had been staring at the First Child. Midway in their discussion, she had realized that she had been staring at him for a while, not quite aware exactly how long that had been happening. She gazed at her notebook's screen, intent on focusing on something other than the Third Child.   
  
The question being, why had she been looking at him at all? This was something she couldn't answer.   
  
Curiosity getting the better of her, she checked if the notebooks were only connected between each other, or on the Internet as well. To her dismay, she could only reach her classmates. She frowned, as she had not been able to use a computer with Internet access for several days now, and had been wanting to tell Momoku that she had finally arrived in Japan.   
  
This brought another small sigh out of her... it still felt awkward using the nickname. If the programs hadn't messed with them, she'd probably feel more comfortable using her friend's real name.   
  
Maybe... maybe she could write an email here, and mail it from HQ. Nodding to herself, she opened the word processor, and sat gazing blankly at the screen.   
  
What could she write? The only emails Momoku and she had actually sent to each other were those first ones, trying to see if the emails were screwed up as well, and other emails to set times to meet in the channel. Come to think of it, the screwing up seemed too focused to be some technical problem. It seemed like... censorship. She had noticed the fact before, but hadn't actually put a name on it until now. She frowned, figuring it was now useless to try writing an email. Leaning back, she thought she'd be able to find a computer at NERV HQ, and set herself on using one at the first available chance.   
  
  
----------------   
  
"Good god, that was boring," ranted Asuka, her only audience being, of all people, Shinji. Yet he'd have to do, as they were both headed towards Nerv HQ. "Such low standards in this country..."   
  
"Don't tell me that," answered the dark haired boy. "It's not my fault."   
  
Hmph. This was what she had come to recognize as typical behavior from him. At work, and even before that on the aircraft carrier, when he seemed to avoid any form of confrontation. Such a wimp, she thought. "I can't believe that teacher bought that government disinformation..."   
  
This time, the boy stopped in his tracks, a look of confusion on his face. "Huh?"   
  
Asuka blinked, looking at him again. "Don't tell me you don't know about the Second Impact?" She asked, pointing at him.   
  
"All the textbooks say that a meteor impacted with Antarctica, evaporating it..."   
  
He stopped as the redhead started snickering. "Hah! You don't know ANYTHING! And you call yourself a pilot?"   
  
Immediately, his expression got sour. Quickly, she tried to amend the situation, as any further mocking would probably make him ignore her. And that wouldn't do, after all.   
  
"Well, want me to tell you, then? Fifteen years ago, a humanoid object, termed the first angel, was discovered in Antarctica. During the probe, there was an explosion of unknown origin... that was the Second Impact. And our duty, as Eva pilots, is to prevent the Third Impact from happening." Smirking, she pressed on, now that she had him practically eating out of her palm. "So they kept you ignorant of the facts? Amazing..."   
  
"Excuse me," said a voice so low it was almost a whisper, startling the redhead. "Could I get by?" Asuka reflexively stepped aside, gathering her bearings as she watched the First Child walk by. She had to be dealt with once and for all.   
  
"Hey, wait a sec, first!" This got the desired result, as the blue haired girl paused in mid-stride. "Now what?"   
  
"I hear you're the Commander's pet... even though you're as frigid as stone."   
  
"And what business is that of yours?" She asked, turning away once more.   
  
Why, that bitch... "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" she hissed, grabbing the First Child's arm. "Don't make fun of me because you're the current favorite!" She whirled around as a hand grabbed her wrist.   
  
"Cut it out," yelled Shinji, still holding to her wrist. For a few moments, she glared, looking at him straight in the eye.   
  
"I see... so that's how it is." Not looking at her... yeah, right..." First Misato, then you guys. . .I can't stand it!" She growled, snatching her hand away from Shinji's grip. She didn't need to deal with this. She was better than either of them.   
  
This thought repeated through her head as she ran down the hallway leading to the HQ. Alas, her musings were cut short.   
  
"ALL EVA PILOTS! PREPARE TO SORTIE!"   
  
Asuka grinned, shoving the thoughts of the last few minutes out of her mind. This was her first battle in Japan. She would show them all exactly who the best pilot was.   
  
She would especially show the supposed Wonder Boy, the Third Child.   
  
  
Listening intently to Misato's briefing, Asuka psyched herself for the upcoming battle. She would crush her opposition, and send it home crying. Figuratively speaking, of course, as the Angels didn't have a home, and probably didn't cry either. There was just one tiny detail that bothered her about this whole mission...   
  
Why did the Third Child have to tag along? She could have easily handled the situation herself...   
  
"How disappointing... You would have thought NERV would let me go alone on my first mission in Japan." Her gaze shifted to the screen that appeared on her left.   
  
"It can't be helped. Orders, you know?"   
  
Bah, the wuss. Following every order like some pet..." And YOU! Listen to me," she hissed into the hologram. "Don't you dare get in my way, you got me?"   
  
"S-sure!" answered the boy, shrinking back from the image of the fiery redhead.   
  
Asuka could not believe this. "Where in God's name did they find a pilot like this?" She cut her musings as her Eva was released from the Transport Plane's hold. With skill born from years of practice, she landed gracefully onto the beach; at least as gracefully a multi-hundred-ton object could land from a height of several miles. A few hundred yards away, EVA 01 did the same. "Eh... there's no honor in a two versus one fight... it's not my style"   
  
Misato appeared on the hologram to comment on Asuka's statement. "We don't really have a choice when it comes to our survival, you know?"   
  
A few seconds later, the Angel appeared. "Commence attack!"   
  
"Right. I'll handle this Angel. Shinji, cover me."   
  
"What? Cover you?"   
  
"Ladies first?"   
  
"Damn it... all I need is to be ordered around by a rookie..."   
  
"I HEARD THAT!" Rookie? Me? I'll show you, Mr. Third Child...   
  
The Eva approached the Angel, leaping onto submerged buildings as if they were stepping-stones. Her enemy seemed distracted by the gunfire coming from Eva 01, letting the Red machine close in without opposition. Finally in range, Asuka flexed the Eva's powerful leg muscles into a flying leap, taking her soaring into the air, holding the progressive hatchet high. She let out a feral cry as she lanced down upon her enemy, splitting the Angel in two. Satisfied with her work, she stood back up, grinning, and faced her so called Teammate.   
  
"You see, Third Child? A fight should never last longer than that!" Her job done, she started walking back to the shore, when a yell from Eva 01's pilot stopped her.   
  
"Asuka! It's still moving!"   
  
"WHAT?" She whirled around, and watched, to her horror, as the separate pieces of the angel started twitching. They seemed to shed their skin and... grow back, this time into two separate Angels...   
  
Which lost no time in attacking the two Evangelions. Shinji shot at the one approaching him, while Asuka tried to slash at her own target. Yet whatever wound either of the Children inflicted, it seemed to heal instantaneously.   
  
Asuka turned around to see Shinji in the grip of the Angel as she heard him cry out. "Shinji!" Alas, this gave time for the other part of the Angel to grab her. "Hey! Lemme go!" She felt herself being lifted into the air, without any apparent effort. "I said, lemme go!"   
  
Then, the flying sensation as both Angels flung the Evas in separate directions, and the blackness as she crashed headfirst into the ground, knocking her out.   
  
  
Asuka seethed the whole time it took here to change out of her plugsuit. The reprimand from Sub-commander Fuyutsuki had stung, but that BAKA had only seemed to rub it in by arguing with her! He would pay for having humiliated her in front of her superiors -- and Kaji no less! Asuka waited until they were both alone outside of the changing room, and angrily stomped on Shinji's foot.   
  
"Ow! That hurt! Alone for two seconds and you ambush me?" he glared at her, holding his foot in pain.   
  
"Shut up! Because of you, I got yelled at by the Sub-Commander!"   
  
"And how is this my fault??"   
  
"You got caught by the Angel because you're so slow, and that distracted me! And to top it all, the First Child was looking at me with such contempt! Grah!" She cursed, and vented her anger on a nearby bench. She whirled around to yell at Shinji some more, but felt a hand fall on her shoulder.   
  
"Hey, what's all this row?"   
  
"Kaji! Oh, nothing much... Shinji was picking on me." She glanced out of the corner of her eye, hiding a smirk caused by the glare the Third Child was giving her.   
  
"Hey, you guys want a snack? My treat."   
  
"Sure!" Asuka's grin faded as she saw that she wasn't going to be alone with Kaji, for the eternally unshaved man had put a hand on Shinji's shoulder as well, inciting him to follow. Why couldn't he leave them alone? Kaji had asked her, not him!   
  
  
In the cafeteria, the snack, which was in fact their dinner, was eaten in silence. Both Children seemed to have something on their minds. Seeing this, Kaji decided to lighten the mood. "C'mon, you two. This isn't over yet. Just need to work a bit harder next time.   
  
"Yeah but with the Evas needing repair, who knows if we'll get a next time?" Asuka asked. She was going to ask more when the intercom came to life.   
  
"Would the pilots of Eva 01 and 02 report to the second conference room at once."   
  
Kaji could only grin at them. "See, you're wanted already... good luck."   
  
As they left, Shinji voiced both their thoughts. "But the Evas are still inoperable! What do they want us to do?"   
  
"No idea, it doesn't really matter anyway."   
  
"Ah, there you are," interrupted the mauve haired Captain. "Follow me."   
  
Both Children had a confused look on their face. "Where are we going?" Shinji asked.   
  
Misato grinned. "To our next operation." She continued as the Children's blank expressions remained. "Our computer analysis has revealed the halves of the Angel work in perfect synchronization. Even separated, it works with one mind. The only way to defeat it is to defeat both cores at once. This will take perfect timing from both Evas." She stopped at a door, and pressed the button to open it. "We'll need you both to be in complete harmony, or the mission will fail." As the door opened, she walked in. "This is it, come on in."   
  
Asuka looked around, growing more confused with every passing moment. She could see twin beds, separated by what seemed like a music sound system, and a TV screen. The rest of the room was pretty average, all in all it seemed like...   
  
"It's a regular twin bedroom..." Shinji mumbled, equally perplexed.   
  
"Welcome to your new quarters!" Misato continued, when the two Children had surveyed their surroundings. "You'll be living here for the next five days."   
  
Asuka and Shinji stood frozen, the expression of horror on the one's face reflected by the other's.   
  
"WHAAAAAAT?"   
  
"We don't have much time, and this is a non-negotiable deal. I will not take no for an answer." Misato continued, smiling even wider.   
  
"You can't do this! We're of the opposite sex!" yelled the girl, as flustered as her companion in misery.   
  
"Misato! What are you thinking!"   
  
"Where is the problem? This is something that has got to be done. Training together all day isn't enough; we need you to be both biologically synchronized as well. So you're only going to train, sleep, and get up together. Nothing complicated about that."   
  
Asuka knew that Misato hadn't meant 'sleeping together' in... THAT way, but it still was a large matter of concern. "But... what if Ikari gets horny and attacks me during the night??"   
  
Misato shrugged this off with a smile. "Quite all right," she answered, to Asuka's disbelief, before she went on. "He wouldn't have the guts." This did nothing to convince the girl, as she eyed the boy next to her. Misato turned and headed towards the door, still smiling. "You should have everything you need right here, but if I missed something call me over the intercom. Wake up call is at 6:30AM. Good night!" The next second, she was gone.   
  
Both Children remained rooted where they stood, frozen in mute horror until Asuka broke the silence. "This can't be happening... it's a nightmare come true! I mean, if it had been with Kaji I wouldn't mind, but Shinji??"   
  
"Say..." The object of the redhead's ranting asked. "Can I take a shower first? I need to cool off."   
  
Already she could tell he was resigned to his fate. Why couldn't he put up a fight, she raged internally, forgetting how he had also been voicing his opposition to Misato's orders. "No! Haven't you heard of chivalry?" She stalked towards the showering room. "Ladies first, I'll go before you! And remember... no peeking."   
  
"Don't worry about that," Shinji answered. Then, in a barely noticeable whisper, he went on. "It's hardly worth risking my life..."   
  
"Hey!" the redhead whirled around, glaring at the Third Child. "What was THAT supposed to mean?"   
  
"Just go!"   
  
She slammed the door behind her, and started to run the shower. What was with him, she thought as she undressed. Any boy would jump at the occasion to take a look at my perfect body... this boy... wimpy, meek... He didn't seem to want to. As she stepped into the shower, an idea struck her. The perfect prank.   
  
  
Armed with a towel and nothing else, Asuka strode out of the bathroom. "Shinji..." she purred, stressing out the last syllable. "Sorry it took so long! I'm all freshened up now!" she continued, adding a hint of slyness in her voice.   
  
She almost couldn't hold her laughter back as he yelled in surprise and terror.   
  
"Why aren't you dressed??"   
  
Ignoring his cries, she went on strutting through the room, still holding the towel close to herself. "What do you think of my body?"   
  
Shinji, for his part, valiantly tried to hide her from his view, placing his hands in front of him. "After you told me not to peek?"   
  
"I'm hurt to see you so uninterested." Yet... he was again proving himself different. He was holding up to his word, not trying to peek. Yet at the same time, it made him into a perfect plaything... she could see a lot of fun coming from the Third Child in the future. All at her hand, of course. Deciding to end the game, she leaned over him.   
  
"Want to see the real thing?"   
  
Slowly, she undid the towel, revealing... that she wore shorts and a small corset. She grinned at his expression, his face still red, and burst out laughing.   
  
  
"Three hours of training right off the bat," said the dark haired boy, sighing, as he and his redheaded companion walked down the NERV HQ corridors leading to the cafeteria. "And more after lunch. God, I'm beat..." He valiantly continued walking, his face covered in sweat and legs shaking as he moved them.   
  
"Quit complaining! You're only whining because you can't even stand straight on your own two feet! It would've been perfect already if I was alone..." Add the humiliation of having to wear these suits... hell, it covered her barely more than a swimsuit would!   
  
"Of course, you wouldn't adjust your speed to me, either."   
  
"Of course not! I'm already doing it perfectly! You're slowing me down!" She yelled, pulling at his ears. Technically... she could probably do it. But she wouldn't do him a favor. No, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of her going out of her way to accommodate with him.   
  
Following his suddenly shifting gaze, she noticed the tall form of NERV's Supreme Commander as he approached them. Quickly removing her hands from Shinji, she stood to attention.   
  
The Commander's eyes turned to Asuka. "How is the training going?" He asked, pausing on his way down the corridor.   
  
Now was the time to make up for the humiliation of the previous mission, and the debriefing. "Just fine, sir! We'll definitely win four days from now!"   
  
"Good. Ill be looking forward to it." This was the only answer before the Commander moved on. Asuka blinked, having expected a bit more discussion than this.   
  
"Father!" Shinji's outburst caught her attention. "We... we were going to have lunch... do you want to-"   
  
"Sorry." The elder Ikari interrupted his son. "I have work to do," he finished, walking off.   
  
Asuka looked at the Commander's departing figure, then back at Shinji. She had known the Commander was a cold person, but Shinji was his son! And he had flat out refused an innocent offer for lunch... She decided to ask him later, as this had piqued her interest...   
  
As they entered the cafeteria, she spotted Misato. She walked over to the table where NERV's Operations Director and Project E Chairman were eating. Curious, the Third Child followed.   
  
"Say, Misato..." the Second Child asked, having caught the older women's attention. "Could I possibly quickly use one of the computers here? There's something I have to check..."   
  
Misato raised an eyebrow, sipping her can of Yebisu. "And might I ask what it is you want to check?"   
  
"Well, I remembered this website that had some material on dances, helping to synchronize movement... I think the name may have been Riverdance or something..."   
  
"I don't know... I guess the Magi allow for surfing the internet... but wouldn't leave some security breach?" Misato asked, directing the last part at Ritsuko, who was looking at Asuka and Shinji with a barely perceptible smile on her face.   
  
She shook her head, snapping out of her musings. "No, the firewall protects us enough. I don't have anything against it... But," she continued, lifting her finger, as Asuka started smiling widely. "Shinji has to go with you."   
  
"Shinji? He wouldn't even know how to use a computer!"   
  
"Oh, I'm not so sure about that... in any case, you both can have half an hour after lunch. Shinji will join you to help you search for that website of yours... Now, go eat some lunch, you still have training in a bit." Ritsuko smiled as the Children left, watching the girl glaring at the boy.   
  
Misato gazed at her friend's expression, her eyes narrowed. "Do you know something I don't?"   
  
"Hm? Me? Nope... nothing at all..."   
  
  
"Aaah, finally!" Asuka exclaimed as she slid into a seat. As she and Shinji entered the room, she had wondered if it was some sort of lounge... it contained about a dozen computers, six on each side of the room. Each were separated by some kind of small dividers, in addition of being slightly slanted compared to the next computer, as the room seemed strangely triangular. A guard had been posted outside, ready to notify them when their time was over. Quickly, she opened up a few windows, checking her mail and opening a chat session, blinking as she read the nickname some previous chatter had left...   
  
"MyMasterBeatsMe...?" she mumbled, frowning to herself. She really, really didn't want to know how that person came up with that name...   
  
Shinji, for his part, was trying to find the website Asuka had mentioned, going only on the few facts she had mentioned earlier. He leaned back, as from his seat he could glimpse a small part of Asuka's screen, while she probably couldn't even see him leaning back, from where she was. Not that it mattered, as she seemed rather intent on her own screen. Even from the few seats distance that separated them, Shinji recognized the layout of an email program. "Aren't you looking for that website?" He asked, curious as to why she wasn't doing what she had told Dr. Akagi she had planned to do.   
  
Turning around, Asuka glared at him, moving her body to hide the screen better. "Anta baka? You actually believed I was really going to do that? I'm just checking some of my own stuff, that's all..." She went back to checking her email, reading some messages from people she had known back in Germany before she logged onto the chat.   
  
Turning around, she glared at him. "Anta baka? You actually believed I was really going to do that? I'm just checking some of my own stuff, that's all..."   
  
He blinked, and looked back at his screen... If she wasn't actually looking for the site, why should he? And who was to say the site even existed? She had probably lied just to get to a computer... Shrugging, he opened up a chat session of his own.   
  
  
--------   
[13:05] *** Now talking in #Rosengärten.   
[13:05] *** Topic is 'Where RoterRitter is moving! || Song of the Week: Johann Sebastian Bach -- II Air'   
[13:05] *** Chanserv sets mode: +o Momoku   
[13:05] seven I don't understand it   
[13:05] *** Squinky is now known as Squinky_Crochet   
[13:05] seven but hearing my name inflates my ego!   
[13:06] Tchernobyl Hey, Momoku, long time no see!   
[13:06] seven *inflate*   
[13:06] soleta oh dear   
[13:06] * sacrenova gives seven an air pump.   
[13:06] ElSleep Eeep!   
[13:06] ElSleep Hey!   
[13:06] Momoku Hello...   
[13:06] soleta that is not something that needs inflating   
[13:06] * soleta giggles and flrrd   
[13:06] seven does too   
[13:06] ElSleep Private messages are to be displayed :P   
[13:07] soleta oh, okay then   
[13:07] sacrenova they were   
[13:07] Squinky_Crochet They are?   
[13:07] sacrenova they were?   
[13:07] Tchernobyl Before you ask, no, RoterRitter hasn't been around for a while ;)   
------   
How did he know he was going to ask that? Sometimes, Tcher knew too much for his own good, he believed...   
-------   
[13:08] * seven eyes tcher   
[13:08] seven are you working your vile sorcery on elc?   
[13:08] soleta the sorcery of luuuuuuuv   
[13:08] Tchernobyl ....   
[13:09] ElSleep Tcher holds me in thrall.   
[13:09] seven yes, he's a beast of passion   
[13:09] * soleta eyes seven, then eyes Tcher   
[13:09] Squinky_Crochet But ElC, didn't you say that you were just using Tcher?   
[13:09] ElSleep I did?   
[13:10] * Squinky_Crochet points to the channel logs   
[13:10] ElSleep I did.   
[13:11] * seven claims himself and hugs self. I love you.   
[13:11] * Tchernobyl reads up, and ........   
[13:12] *** RoterRitter has joined #Rosengärten   
[13:12] *** Chanserv sets mode: +o RoterRitter   
[13:12] * seven kisses self. oh you naughty, naughty little girl... did I just say that out loud? _ _   
[13:12] * seven tackles tcher   
[13:12] seven TAKE ME YOU FOOL   
[13:12] seven TAKE ME NOW   
[13:12] * RoterRitter .....   
[13:12] Tchernobyl RR? Momoku? Please?   
[13:12] *** seven was kicked by RoterRitter (You are one sick, sick person.)   
[13:13] Tchernobyl Thank you.   
[13:13] Tchernobyl *cough*   
[13:13] *** seven has joined #solace   
[13:13] * seven limps back in "that was rather rude"   
[13:13] soleta c'mon, Tcher, can't you accept worship? ;)   
[13:13] * Tchernobyl keeps the shotgun at hand's reach   
[13:14] * seven hmphs at tcher and goes behind the privacy screen with himself, then   
-------   
[13:15] RoterRitter God, those guys are insane...   
[13:15] Momoku Hey. Haven't seen you around for a while.   
[13:15] RoterRitter Right back at ya. I've been busy moving, remember? I'm finally in the country of the rising sun...   
[13:15] * Momoku is glad   
[13:15] RoterRitter Hm? Why, because you can talk with me for even longer, now?   
[13:15] Momoku Actually, more because we have a slightly higher chance to meet each other now, than we did before...   
[13:15] RoterRitter Hell yeah! During school vacations or something...   
[13:15] Momoku Yeah. If I manage to get away from this place...   
[13:15] RoterRitter ?   
[13:16] RoterRitter Why do you say that?   
[13:16] Momoku I don't know if my guardian would let me travel the country alone...   
[13:16] RoterRitter That sucks...   
[13:16] RoterRitter Ah, no matter. I'll probably be the one to visit, although it's rather un-gentelman-like to make a lady do the trip :P   
[13:16] Momoku Gomen, I can't help it... I didn't make the rules :P   
[13:16] RoterRitter I know, I'm just kidding, so stop apologizing already... god knows I've got enough of that around here...   
[13:16] RoterRitter So, what's up?   
[13:16] Momoku Oh, nothing much... probably won't be online for the next 4 days, though. Some school project...   
[13:16] RoterRitter Ah... s'alright, I'm in the same situation. And just as I've finished moving, too! You'd think they'd give me time to unpack, but nooooo...   
[13:19] RoterRitter ....   
[13:20] RoterRitter you still there?   
[13:20] Momoku Yeah...   
[13:20] RoterRitter What's on your mind?   
[13:20] Momoku Oh, nothing...   
[13:20] RoterRitter You know, each time you say something like that, it attracts more attention to you? And each time you have something on your mind, you're silent for a while.   
[13:20] Momoku Really? Weird...   
[13:20] Momoku Come to think of it, you tend to do the same...   
[13:20] RoterRitter Wha? Nah, you must be imagining things.   
[13:20] Momoku No, seriously...   
[13:21] RoterRitter Bah. Anyway, stop changing the subject! What's on your mind? Tell!   
[13:21] Momoku My father, again... I saw him today, but he pushed me away... again.   
[13:21] RoterRitter Oh... nothing seems to work, does it?   
[13:21] Momoku Nope... it was only asking him to come for lunch, too...   
----------   
Asuka blinked. Lunch? Asking his father to have lunch with him? Her eyes still wide in disbelief, she leaned back slightly, and looked at Shinji out of the corner of her eye. She leaned back some more, trying to catch a glimpse of his screen, but he was just too far down the row for her to see from her angle.   
  
Could it be? Naah... the coincidence was just too incredible to be real. After all... this was SHINJI she was talking about. The perverted wimp. Momoku was anything but that, and much easier to talk to... trustworthy, in fact. Although... both kept apologizing to no end... and both had a problem with their father.   
  
She shook off the feeling. There was just no way in hell Shinji could be Momoku.   
---------   
[13:23] Momoku Still there?   
[13:23] RoterRitter Yeah, I was afk for a bit there...   
[13:23] RoterRitter Oh damn, I have to go in a few min...   
[13:24] Momoku So do I... in any case, it's good to be talking with you again   
[13:24] RoterRitter Damn straight. Glad that this move is over as well... talk to you again in 4 days, okay?   
[13:24] Momoku Sure...   
[13:24] * RoterRitter sighs...   
[13:24] Momoku ?   
[13:24] RoterRitter I really, really wish we could meet... this is fun and all... but it's not the same thing.   
[13:25] Momoku Yeah... let's just hope it isn't like in that old movie...   
[13:25] RoterRitter Hm? Which one?   
[13:25] Momoku An old American movie my guardian showed me... I think it was "You've got mail"   
[13:25] RoterRitter Oh yeah, I've seen that one... it was funny.   
[13:25] RoterRitter What, you're hoping this is the start of a blooming romance? ;)   
[13:25] Momoku Er... more that if we do meet, that we don't hate each other...   
[13:26] RoterRitter That wouldn't happen, I like you too much for that :P And you like me, right?   
--------   
Shinji almost fell off the chair, as he stared at the monitor in disbelief. Whoa. This was probably the first time anyone had ever said something like that to him... he couldn't believe she had actually said that...   
--------   
[13:27] RoterRitter ...RIGHT?   
[13:27] Momoku Yes! Sorry, I was afk...   
[13:27] RoterRitter Hmph. That sounds rather weak to me. Say it again :P   
[13:27] Momoku I like you, too. You're the only person I can really talk with, share my thoughts with.   
[13:27] RoterRitter Much better. You're the same, you know. My confidante :)   
[13:28] RoterRitter Ah well, I should be going. Cya!   
[13:28] Momoku Tchüss!   
-------------------   
  
Just as the guard opened the door, Shinji and Asuka both stood up from their terminals. They blinked at each other for a moment, before shrugging it off and walking out of the room, heading back to several more hours of training.   
  
  
As she toweled her hair after her shower, Asuka couldn't let go of those thoughts... Even though it was only a little she was going on, the similarity was too amazing to believe... She just had to find out. Sitting on the edge of Shinji's bed, she eyed him warily. He seemed to be deep in thought, gazing at the ceiling, not noticing her presence.   
  
It was time to move in for the kill.   
  
"Say, Shinji... do you have a... father's complex?" She almost laughed as he immediately sat up. Asuka one, Shinji zero.   
  
"What are you talking about now?" he asked, seemingly indignant.   
  
"You know! You wanted to have lunch with him, and now you're depressed because he refused! What's the big deal?"   
  
"I don't have a complex... I just hate him. Very much so... but I don't want to."   
  
"As I said..."   
  
"What about you?" Shinji asked, trying to change the subject of the conversation.   
  
Asuka blinked, then looked away. Why should she share with him? He didn't need to know anything about her. And yet... he had just poured out his thoughts to her, never thinking twice about it. She turned her head to face him once more, ready to lash out at him, until she saw his eyes. His expression was on ly... concern, and curiosity. She had expected him to feel pity, guessing why she had remained silent for so long...   
  
Being honest for once couldn't hurt too much... right?   
  
"Kindof the same... but I hate him, and have a reason to. I want to hate him." There... it hadn't hurt too much.   
  
"Oh... uhm... why?"   
  
But she had to draw a line somewhere. "I'd rather not talk about it, actually. . ." She said, lifting herself off of Shinji's bed, and flopping on her own.   
  
The silence remained until they fell asleep, as Shinji was left to wonder about his roommates past, and she could only try to suppress surfacing memories that had best been left undisturbed.   
  
Shinji quietly closed the bathroom door behind him, careful not to wake his roommate up. As he approached his bed, he paused, listening to something... someone was crying? He looked at the sleeping girl, and stepped closer to the redhead, her fiery mane scattered all over her pillow. As he leaned next to her bed, he heard her mumble.   
  
"Mommy..."   
  
She talks in her sleep? Huh...   
  
"Mommy... why did you die?"   
  
Shinji blinked. She hadn't mentioned that part when they had talked, earlier... Here was this girl, brash, violent, loud, seemingly a polar opposite of himself... yet they shared a common bond. Both had lost their parents... even if one did remain, they couldn't really be called a Parent.   
  
He was about to go back to bed, when she turned over, suddenly facing him. His face was now less than a foot away from hers, so close he could almost feel her breathing. Slowly, he leaned in closer, not quite aware of what he was doing.   
  
As he closed the gap to a few inches, he noticed a lone tear escape from the sleeping girl's eye. He stopped his forward motion, silently gazing at her. Instead of pressing on, he lifted a hand to her face, and gently wiped away the tear with a finger. Sighing, he quietly went back to his bed, and stared at the ceiling until sleep claimed him.   
  
  
On her side, Asuka was wide-awake, and very confused. A few minutes ago, she had startled herself awake by crying. Angry at herself, she had turned over, eyes still closed, and tried to fall asleep once more.   
  
That's when she felt something close to her. Something warm, and breathing. And the only thing that would fall under that category was... Shinji. It took all her self-control to note open her eyes and yell at him, instead trying to feign sleep.   
  
She must have succeeded, as after a few moments, she felt his breath coming closer. Had her eyes been opened, she would have blinked in shock. What was he doing? Starting to panic, she remained frozen in place. Her heart nearly froze when she sensed him stopping, mere inches from her face. She waited, unsure of what he would do... and felt his finger lightly touch her face, wiping something away. She realized a tear must have escaped, and run down her face.   
  
Had he... had he stopped because of that?   
  
Asuka stayed awake a long time, before being able to sleep again.   
  
  
"Okay, stop! Asuka, stop leaving Shinji behind! You seem too distracted."   
  
"I'm doing it perfectly, he's the one who's slow! And besides... why has the Fir-Ayanami been watching since yesterday? That's probably what's distracting me."   
  
Misato sighed. "Rei? Could you try for a sec instead of Asuka?"   
  
"Yes." The blue haired girl answered, stepping forward.   
  
Shocked, Asuka stepped back, and watched in silence... as to her disgust, both other pilots seemed to be in perfect synchronization. She didn't miss the look Misato gave her.   
  
"If Unit 00 wasn't being repaired... I'd team them up without a second thought." Misato said softly to the red Eva's pilot.   
  
That was the last straw. Adding this to the night Shinji had almost kissed her, Asuka needed to get out of this... prison. "Fine. Why don't you send her out in my Unit 02?"   
  
Misato looked squarely at her. "Asuka?"   
  
"Excuse me!" The redhead exclaimed, her control breaking, and ran out of the room. She continued to run, escaping the confines of the pyramid that was NERV HQ, and finally came to rest in what seemed a park. . .that was the last thing she would have expected in the Geofront. However, it was the last thing on her mind at the moment.   
  
They had no right to replace her, she wasn't the one at fault... Shinji was the one who kept lagging behind... and he was why she was so distracted... for the past three days, she had been mulling the event over in her mind, trying to sort things out... like why he tried, and more importantly, why he had stopped.   
  
"Soryu..."   
  
She gave a slight jump, as she hadn't heard him approached while lost in her thoughts.   
  
"Don't say a word. I know what I need to do... I'm the only one who can do it. I have no choice in the matter."   
  
Shinji, complying with her demand, remained silent. Saying that Ayanami probably could pilot Unit 02 didn't seem the best of ideas at the moment...   
  
"In any case," the girl continued, "I'm not going to roll over on command. I'm going to show both Misato and the First. I must crush them!" Noticing his bewildered look, she shrugged. "My pride is at stake. I have to this, and I'll do it my own way." She hid her expression from him, masking it with an air of determination. In reality, she felt disappointed, and yet relieved... she was almost sure Shinji wasn't Momoku. Had he been, he would have said something... anything... to comfort her. Or just to try to talk it out... no. Shinji had remained silent. He couldn't be Momoku.   
  
  
The day had come. Both were ready, both were synchronized. The hours had blurred past, a haze of German curses, twirls, and dancing until, after days of practice, they'd achieved uncanny synchronicity. Asuka still remembered looking over to Shinji's sweating face to see him looking back at her, in perfect time. Both smiling as they listened to the music pour from the stereo's speakers. They had trained the whole day after her outburst, perfecting the training it what seemed a matter of hours.   
  
Now, as they fought the angel, they were poetry in motion. Every motion of one of the Evas was mirrored exactly by the other, creating an eerie, yet graceful dance.   
  
Catapulted from underground, both Evas soared through the skies. As gravity pulled them back down, they each smashed a knee in their respective Angel, knocking the creature back.   
  
Leaping away, they reached for the bus-sized guns that had been sent to them, and opened volleys of fire at their targets. These seemed unaffected by the projectiles, releasing bolts of energy of their own.   
  
The Evas leapt away, flipping backwards to dodge the oncoming Angel fire. As they landed at a pre-marked area, their arrival triggered a massive armored plate to raise, shielding them from the searing bolts of energy aimed at them. Grabbing another set of rifles, they opened another volley at the Angels. This only seemed to anger them, as they suddenly rose off the ground, flying towards the Evas. These dodged the oncoming claws, watching as the barrier was cut like a hot knife through butter.   
  
The Angels seemingly distracted, cover fire was shot at them, the hundreds of rockets creating a massive cloud of smoke, hiding the Angels from view.   
  
This being their chance, both Eva took running leaps, soaring through the skies, to finally crush both Cores with a flying kick that would have made many a martial artist proud. The Cores shone brightly as they were destroyed, and exploded in a massive ball of fire.   
  
As the dust ensuing the explosion cleared, both Evas were revealed... grotesquely heaped one upon the other.   
  
From inside her Eva, Asuka eyed the Third Child. "Way to go, you klutz. Can't you even land right?"   
  
"Oh, cut it out... it's over, anyway."   
  
"Hmph. You're forgiven, this time... You didn't do too bad, considering your abilities..."   
  
Shinji grinned. "Wow, compliments. I'm flattered."   
  
"Shut up. Now," she started, opening a channel to the Bridge of NERV. "Will someone get us out of here???"   
  



	9. Small announcment

Heya, all! Just a little announcment-type thing. Yes, I know, I'm shamelessly abusing this ;D  
  
In any case, two things.  
  
First, Prior Acquaintances is on hold, for about a month or so...as I've got another project/idea in the works. Some people know what i'm talking about ;)  
  
Second, I have created a website! Admittedly, kindof lacking, as my skills in html/website creation are rather poor (read: nonexistant). Anyway, Prior Acquaintances can be found there as well, as will probably any future projects that will appear. Doesn't mean you should stop posting reviews here, of course ;)  
  
For those wanting to see, the link is http://www.geocities.com/tchernobyl1/main.html  
  
Tchernobyl. 


	10. Chapter Nine: Secrets

The computer screen cast an eerie glow into the room, bathing the person using it in a soft green light. Fingers tapped the keys, causing lines of text to scroll down the display, almost too fast for the human eye to follow.

Almost.

Probably the only person within NERV able to process such information at that speed, Ritsuko Akagi sat at one of the MAGI terminals, reviewing the code for any flaws or glitches she may have missed. At the moment, her eyes surveyed the latest... "Implementation" the Supreme Commander had ordered her to create. 

Not finding any errors, she closed the window, and opened another file, a log of what the program recorded and did. Although she had a pretty good idea why the Commander had chosen to undertake these measures, it seemed somewhat...extreme. 

_It does make some form of entertainment_, she thought, as she read one of the more recent files.

-------

[22:04] * RoterRitter tackles Momoku

[22:04] Momoku ??

[22:04] RoterRitter Whaaaat? 

[22:04] Momoku That's an...interesting greeting.

[22:05] RoterRitter I'm just happy to see you! Rather eventful day here...

[22:05] Momoku What happened?

[22:05] RoterRitter Well, we were on some kind of school trip, up in the mountains...I slipped at one point, and was about to fall off the side of a cliff...

[22:05] Momoku What?? Are you all right? Everything ok??

[22:06] RoterRitter Hold your horses, I'm all right! I wouldn't be talking here if I wasn't, now would I? ;)

[22:06] Momoku Oh. Right. So...

[22:06] RoterRitter ?

[22:06] Momoku How did you stop your fall?

[22:06] RoterRitter Well...I didn't. 

[22:06] Momoku ???

[22:06] RoterRitter Somebody caught me in time, he kept me from falling.

[22:07] Momoku Thank god... a friend of yours?

[22:10] RoterRitter Not really, just a classmate...

[22:10] Momoku Thank god for his quick reflexes, then...

------

"Devious girl, isn't she? Twisting the facts like that..." a voice mumbled, close enough to make Ritsuko jump. 

"Well, at least she isn't revealing NERV classified information," she answered, quickly recovering her cool. She turned her head towards the new arrival. "And isn't this above your clearance level as well, my dear Kaji?" 

The eternally unshaven man shrugged. "Not really, I _was_ transferred to the intelligence section, if you recall...and this has been causing quite a stir there as well." He glanced at the code again. "But seriously... Is all this really necessary? What harm could come out of-"

"Control," the blonde scientist interrupted. "He can control them easier this way. What they don't know can be used against them... Not that they need to know, either."

Kaji raised an eyebrow at the last statement. "Not to step on anyone's toes, but... these kids need all the help they can get. Katsuragi is doing a fine job, but..."

"But she can't reach them as well as they could reach each other?" Ritsuko offered, as the man trailed off. "We don't have many options, though...I am only following orders, as everyone does here."

Kaji shook his head. "I believe we do have a choice... it all depends on whether we choose to follow orders, or do what we think is right."

"And you've made your choice?" She asked, as her long-time friend stood up to leave.

Kaji paused, turning his head at her to offer a grin. "Perhaps."

---------------------------

Prior Acquaintances 

Chapter Nine: Secrets

---------------------------

Slowly a pair of eyes opened to be greeted by a featureless ceiling. The gaze still heavy with sleep turned towards the alarm clock, which read half past seven. No one else would be up at this hour... The boy stood up, stripped off his clothes, and lazily wrapped a towel around himself, before he headed towards the bathroom.

_A shower will feel great right now,_ he thought, one hand opening his door while the other gripped the towel.

Red hair floated on the water's surface, framing a face that could have been called the living picture of peace. The girl was half asleep, the warm water of the bath she was in making her drowsy. She had woken up an hour earlier, torn from her sleep by a dream she couldn't remember, even if she tried. Unable to go back to sleep, she had decided to relax in a soothing bath. Too soothing, as she had almost fallen asleep. Deciding to finally get out, she stood up, stretching her arms above her head to fully awaken.

That's when the door opened. 

A half-awake Shinji turned into a fully awake Shinji, and a still-drowsy Asuka found her mind to be cleared of any thoughts in that moment. Both children blinked, unmoving, staring at each other. Again, in perfect unison, they blinked again, breaking the moment.

"WAAUGH!!!! SCHEISSKERL!! VERPISS DICH HENTAI! PERVERT!" Asuka screamed falling back into the water, one arm trying as best as it could to cover her chest, the other throwing various bottles of shampoo and other items at hand. 

At first, Shinji tried to shield himself with his free hand, as shampoo started flying around his head. However, through either a stroke of luck, or incredible aim considering the tenseness of the situation, one bottle managed to land in his face, square between the eyes. This caused the boy to instinctively shield himself with both arms, releasing his grip on his towel in the process.

"AAAAAH! I DID NOT WANT TO SEE THAT!" The redhead screamed, as she now had a view of Shinji similar to what he had seen of her at entering the bathroom. Redoubling her efforts, she threw every item that wasn't fixed to the wall, as well as a stream of curses in every language she knew, and a few others she couldn't even remember where she had heard them.

Trying to cover himself while running back to his room, Shinji didn't notice one of the items that had been thrown now lay in his path. He did, however, feel the effects of the bar of soap as he slid on it, sending him crashing into his room.

Silence reigned, only to be broken by the sound of a door opening, followed by a body rolling out. Misato landed in a crouch, her gun aimed down the corridor, searching for signs of the disturbance that had torn her from her sleep. No movement could be seen, except for an extremely wide-eyed PenPen peeking out of the kitchen. Lowering the gun, she decided to find out what had happened when she woke up for good. Of course, after a few more hours of sleep.

She almost made it safely to her room, but stepped on something that made her crash back onto the ground. Struggling back to a sitting position against the wall, she picked up the object, and eyed it critically. 

Gun in one hand, and a bar of soap in the other, Misato Katsuragi could only wonder aloud, "...what the hell is going on here?"

Her answer came in the form of a sponge, directly to her face.

-------------

Shinji's gaze kept drifting towards the girl walking several meters ahead of him. For possibly the millionth time, he wondered how things had turned this way. The fiery German redhead was now living with him and Misato. A rather large turn of events, he mused, as he thought back to that afternoon, several months ago.

{{_"What the..." Shinji looked at the hallway, the walls lined with boxes, leading right up to the last empty room. Growing increasingly confused by the minute, he walked over to the kitchen to grab a drink, so he could mull things over._

_He emitted a small yelp at the sight that had greeted him._

_"'Bout time you got here! I was going to start moving all the boxes myself, but since you're here, you can help me."_

_Shinji stared at the girl as she lifted a can of soda to her lips, acting as if she had lived in the apartment her whole life. What, in the name of all that was good and sane, was she doing here? "What are you doing here?" He asked, formulating his thoughts into words._

_"Misato invited me," she said, her demeanor chipper. "I was thinking of staying alone, really, but she insisted. You know her."_

_"But..."_

_"I'm home!" The purple haired subject of the discussion called from the doorway, stepping over the boxes. After throwing her stuff into her room, she turned around to see the confused and flustered Shinji looking at her._

_"Misato! What's going on here?" he asked, pointing at the red haired girl who had started to unpack some of the boxes._

_Misato had given the boy a sheepish smile. "She asked me if she could move in here, actually. And after I let you stay here, I couldn't really refuse now could I?"_

_"Huh?" That had not been what Asuka had told him..._

_"And hey," the Nerv Captain added, her expression turning sly. "If she wanted to stay here so badly, that must mean she must have had a lot of fun during those five days you two were together..."}}_

Shinji blushed as he had back then, tearing his gaze away from the girl. He still wondered why she had moved in with them. She had certainly complained about his presence often enough. Then there was that incident which occurred that very morning... He was surprised she was allowing him to even walk this close to her.

As for her having fun... he recalled that one smile they had shared, when they had finally managed to synchronize. The rest of the time had mostly been arguments and fights.

Shaking those thoughts from his mind, he peered through the crowd approaching the school, looking for his friends. He could use a distraction right now.

"Hey, Shinji! Over here!"

He turned his head towards the call, finally spotting Toji and Kensuke in the throng of students. Glancing one last time at Asuka, he found her gone, having already disappeared in the sea of humanity.

"What were you lookin' at, Ikari?" Toji eyed his friend warily, knowing perfectly well what the smaller boy had been looking at. He couldn't fathom why, though.

Shinji shook his head, hoping they didn't notice the faint blush before answering quietly. "Nothing..."

"Oh come on," Kensuke said. "We both saw you looking at the Demon. What's on your mind?"

The pilot of Eva 01 sighed. Ever since Asuka had started attending the Tokyo-3 school, Shinji hadn't been able to stop them from using that nickname.

Nor had he managed to stop the rumors that had spread as soon as he and the fiery German had first arrived at the school together, although she had managed to stomp out a number of them, merely by acting the way she did.

"Well...I'm still wondering why she moved in with Misato and I..."

"Yeah. You have all the luck, man..." the jock noted. "Living with Misato..."

Shinji rolled his eyes, and sat down at his desk when they finally reached the classroom, getting ready for the lesson.

-----------

"What's eating you, Shinji? You've been distracted all day?"

"Um...well...Misato and Asuka were watching this movie last night..." the boy hesitated, unsure of how he would speak that which was on his mind.

"What, '_Armageddon'_?", Kensuke answered. "Yeah. They were showing it for some kind of Second Impact documentary or something..."

"No, well, not exactly...did you ever see one called '_You've Got Mail'_?"

"'_You've Got'_...oh, yeah. Way back, I think. It was...cute, I guess."

Shinji hesitated a second before he continued. "I was wondering, is that type of thing...even possible?"

"What, online romances? Why do you ask?" the boy caught himself as he asked the question. _Why else would Shinji... Unless..._ "Wait...are you asking because you're in one yourself?" Grinning at the idea, he leaned forward. "So, who is it?"

Shinji was blushing up a storm. "It-It's not like that! Really!" Noticing the dubious look on his friend's face, he tried to avoid eye contact. Which he failed miserably to do.

"Riiiight," the still grinning boy answered. "So how long have you known her?"

"More than a year now, before I even moved to Tokyo-3..."

"And you're still talking? Wow...those things usually last just a couple of months...Well who is she? And where's she from?"

"I don't know.", the boy answered, looking at his desk, head downcast.

"Eh? A year, and you still don't know??"

"It's weird. Whenever we type names of places or people, they're all symbols...in emails too."

"You mean, like censorship? Weird..."

"However, I do know she's from Germany... and that she's recently moved to Japan." 

The bespectacled boy's jaw almost fell to the ground, his face an ashen color. "Germany? Censorship? Don't you realize what this MEANS?" Kensuke whispered hoarsely, while pointing at Asuka with a quaking finger. "There's conspiracy afoot, Ikari, and you've fallen into the middle of it. You and the...the...the..."

Shinji didn't need to look to know what he was pointing at, though. "I don't think it's Asuka... she told me she was far away from any place the Angels would attack... and anyway, this girl is a lot nicer."

Both boys paused, one staring out of the window, the other glancing back and forth between his friend and the red-haired girl. "What is she like?"

Shinji seemed to awaken...as if he were crawling out of his shell. "I...can't really explain it. She's great, she's funny, she's nice...I feel that I can understand her like no one else...and she understands me. She accepts how I am...I feel like that John Fox guy."

"Wow, that's...wow." Kensuke paused, confused. "Who's John Fox?"

"Tom Hanks."

"Who?"

Shinji sighed. "Captain John Miller?"

"Oh! The "Saving Private Ryan" guy! Why didn't you say so in the first place? Anyway, what about him?"

"To quote him, 'If this girl is as wonderful in person as she is on line, I may have found the love of my life'," Shinji paused. "But I don't know if I can handle that."

The brown haired boy looked at his friend. Shinji had seemed so...alive when he had talked about this girl. More so than he had ever seen Eva 01's pilot act. "Well, good luck, I guess...hope you find out who it is."

----------

"Sorry, Asuka," said the pigtailed girl to her friend, as they walked toward the redhead's home. "You're usually walking with Ikari..."

"Oh, that's all right. I don't particularly want to see him right now, to tell the truth..."— The other girl answered, recalling that morning's incident...As they crested the hill, they paused to sit on a bench near the park, watching the sun set in the distance. Neither spoke, preferring the silence, until the German girl broke it.

"This is about Toji, isn't it?"

Hikari stared ahead, only slightly startled by the break in the calmness of the moment. "Is it that obvious?"

Asuka grinned, nodding. "Yep. The three Stooges are the only ones who don't see it."

This caused the freckled girl to look at her friend once more. "Not Shinji...he seems kind of naïve..."

"He's actually a complete idiot. The slowest of the bunch, no social skills whatsoever, no idea how to relate to others..."

Another pause, this time broken by Hikari. "I think Toji might like Rei..."

"What?? The doll and him? Where'd you get that from??"

"They were together at lunch..."

"Don't you worry, she's about ten thousand times denser than Shinji at communication!"

"You think so?"

"Absolutely." The redhead answered firmly, getting a smile out of her friend. "What do you see in that monkey, anyway?"

Hikari blushed, turning away. When she spoke, it was in a whisper. "He's not really like that. He's...compassionate."

Asuka blinked, disbelief etched on her face. "Uh huh...right...."

"What about you?" the other girl asked as she faced her friend once more. "Is there anybody you like?"

"What? Where, in our class? Pfff, never." _Elsewhere, though..._ she thought, a wistful look on her face.

Her friend did not miss that look. "And outside of the class? And not Mr. Kaji. He's good-looking and everything, but I mean someone _our _age."" She smiled as the German girl whirled around to face her, a startled look on her face. "You had this...look on your face after you said that."

Asuka frowned, looking at her hands. After a few minutes of silence, she spoke. "Promise me not to tell anyone else. And I mean no one." She looked up at her friend, her eyes showing the turmoil inside.

Hikari nodded, her eyes wide at the vehemence in the other girl's voice, and the look in her eyes. She wondered what could possibly cause such a reaction in Asuka.

"He...I've never seen him, I don't even know exactly where he lives... But I can talk to him. Easily, almost like with you... I can share things with him that I haven't told anyone, not even y-" she stopped, catching herself before she ended that phrase. 

To her relief, the freckled girl was shaking her head, a small smile on her face. "It's all right. Even best friends don't have to share everything." She squeezed the other girl's shoulder. "What did you mean you've never seen him?" She asked, getting back to the point that was confusing her.

"I mean just that. I've never seen him. I've only heard him and talked with him."

"You've lost me. How does that work?"

"I...oh, this is stupid..." Asuka said quietly, seeing how ridiculous the whole situation was.

Hikari was getting increasingly confused as she listened to her friend. "What? I don't understand..."

"I...I met him on the Internet, like a year ago..." the redhead said, frowning as she stared at the ground. "This is stupid...I sound like a complete lovesick idiot..."

"Nah. I think it's sweet." The Class Rep answered, grinning. "But you don't know where he lives and what his name is?" she asked, incredulous at that fact.

"Don't you think I've TRIED to figure out? There's something weird going on, each time we mention our names, or names of places, the words get replaced by symbols. Too specific to be a random glitch, though. Only thing I have is his handle."

Hikari seemed pensive. "Well, you _are_ part of NERV...maybe it's just them making sure no secrets get out, or something...What's a handle, anyway?"

Asuka blinked at her friend. _Now why didn't I think of that?_ She remained silent before Hikari's question registered in her mind. "It's like a nickname, only online...he calls himself Momoku...My own is RoterRitter. That means Red Knight."

"It fits you." The pigtailed girl said with a grin, before her face took on a look of worry. "Momoku? 'Forsaken'? How...sad. He must be lonely, too..." She paused to think. "Hmm...Maybe you could ask Misato for help...she could probably find out who your friend is."

"Misato? I just told you, I don't want _anyone_ to know! If I tell Misato, it'll just become a big joke to her! First time she can, she'll make fun of me about it in front of Shinji, and by the next day his stooge friends will know, too. If I talk to Misato tonight, by this time tomorrow it'll be all over Tokyo3."

"Oh come on, she's can't be that bad." Hikari answered, her eyes widening slightly as the redhead stared at her angrily. She jumped slightly as Asuka abruptly stood up, and started to walk in the direction of Misato's apartment.

"Asuka, where-"

"Never mind, okay? I knew I shouldn't try to talk about this."

"Sorry..."

"Argh! Stop that, you're starting to sound like Shinji!"

"So-er..." she said, catching herself in time. As they walked, she put her hand on Asuka's arm. "Come on...tell me what's wrong? You don't need to tell Misato if you don't want to..."

Asuka remained silent, staring ahead as they followed the sidewalk. "It's just...so frustrating, you know?" She started, coming out of her reverie. "The one person that I really feel...connected to, I can't even see or touch..."

Hikari's eyes widened as she listened to her friend. "You _really_ like this guy, don't you?"

The redhead blushed, looking down at the pavement, intently studying it. "You know there's only one man for me..." she said, her voice merely a shaky whisper. She yelped in surprise as Hikari grabbed her, crushing her into a massive bear hug. 

"That's so romantic, Asuka!" stepping back, she took hold of her friend's hand. "You have _got_ to meet this guy! And I'm going to try to help you!"

The redhead, however, shook her head. "Hikari, no. I'll...really, I'll handle this myself." She forced a smile as she saw the frown form on her friend's face, slightly cocking her head to the side. "Besides...if I actually met him, he'd just be another stupid little boy, right? Hell, he's probably fat and pimply with greasy hair."

"Oh, stop that. I bet he's really cute." She grinned at her friend, whose smile seemed more genuine. Hikari hugged her again, and stepped back. "Well, guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" 

The redhead nodded, still lost in thought as she started her path back home.

Hikari watched the girl as she walked away, her flaming red hair marking her for a great distance. As Asuka disappeared, Hikari let a small grin appear on her face. _No matter what...I'm going to help you. Even if that means I have to break my promise...but you should be happy... I just hope I can do something._

----------

[20:57] RoterRitter Argh. Argh, argh, argh.

[20:57] Momoku ???

[20:57] Momoku What's wrong?

[20:57] RoterRitter I hate this. HATE, you hear me?

[20:57] Momoku Hate what?

[20:58] RoterRitter This whole thing with the damn program blanking out stuff.

[20:58] Momoku Yeah...

[20:58] RoterRitter I loathe and despise it. And you know why?

[20:58] Momoku Not really, no. I mean, we can still communicate...

[20:58] RoterRitter Yeah, but still! It's like trying to write with a broken hand!

[20:59] RoterRitter What I really hate, though

[20:59] RoterRitter Is not really knowing who you are.

[20:59] RoterRitter Where you live. What you look like. What your name is.

[20:59] RoterRitter Not being able actually *meet* you. Not being able to see, and touch you, to make sure you're really real.

[21:00] RoterRitter I hate not knowing if I'd like you in reality as much as I like you here.

[21:00] Momoku I feel like that too...but I don't know what to do that could help...

[21:00] RoterRitter I know, I can't either...I really hope this isn't going to last. I can't stand not knowing...

----------

Special Agent Ryoji Kaji —Investigator for NERV, SEELE, and the Japanese Ministry of Intelligence— sighed as he relaxed against the back of his chair. Even if the task at hand didn't stand amongst the higher echelons of priorities in his orders, he still devoted time to it. 

The Children...used, abused, misled, deceived...the list went on. He could understand that they didn't need to know everything, especially not the darker secrets of NERV... But this...this was just cruelty. Pure and simple cruelty. Why was Ikari doing everything in his power to prevent his own son from having a ray of light in the misery that was his life? How could a little comfort or relief hurt?

And on a more practical side, wouldn't his piloting improve if he had an incentive?

Kaji rubbed his chin, the stubble of the beard scratching his fingers. _Ritsuko won't do anything...Katsuragi doesn't know. And I can't tell her yet..._

He sat forward as a thought struck him. He quickly opened a few files, searching for some information. As he found what he was looking for, he grinned, the first glimmers of an idea forming in his mind

-------------

"Misato? Can I ask you something?"

The purple-haired Director of Operations peered over her can of Yebisu, looking at one of her two roommates. The redhead sat at the table, having finished the instant-meal Misato had cooked, as Shinji was out with his friends. She was looking down at her plate, apparently deep in thought, but soon she raised her head to gaze at her guardian in the eye. 

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about NERV and censorship, would you?"

Misato's eyebrows shot up, as she carefully laid her can of beer on the table. Not exactly sure where the conversation was heading to, she decided to take the cautious approach. "You mean from the media? Keeping the Evas and Angels secret?"

Asuka was shaking her head. "No, I mean more personal."

Misato frowned, now more confused than ever. "You should have clearance for that, I think. You do mean looking at people's files, right?"

"No! Like the whole secrecy about NERV."

"Oh, you mean that form you signed about never disclosing any information pertaining to NERV or the EVAs..."

The redhead was now frowning, angrily shaking her head again. "No! Ach, never mind."

Now it was the older woman's turn to frown. "Listen, I can't really answer you if you don't tell me what's on your mind!"

The younger girl remained silent, unable to retort. Finally, she spoke again. "I mean me. Us. The pilots."

"What about you guys? I know there's monitoring of the phones, but beyond that..."

The redhead hesitated, unsure if she should go on, but finally gave in. "It's...well, you probably know I use a chatting program on my computer, right?" She went on as the older woman nodded. "Well, for some reason it's acting weird...each time I try to say my name, or where I am, it keeps blanking out or putting up random symbols for other people. Same goes the other way."

"Sorry, I don't really know anything about that..." Misato answered, before looking at the girl once more. "And why are you saying your name or location to anyone?" She thought back to the days she herself used an early version of those chat programs, as the internet started to get extremely widespread. Usually, people didn't give out that kind of info. Only when... "Wait a second...You don't have some little honey of yours who you want to meet, do you?" She grinned at the look of horror on the girl's face, together with a sudden blush. "You DO! How sweet! What's his name? Where does he live?"

Once more, Asuka's face contorted in anger. "That's what I've been saying. I DON'T KNOW!" She shouted. "Even if I've TRIED to find out, something won't LET me!" By now, she was shaking in anger.

Misato knew she had gone too far. "Calm down, Asuka...why don't you show me?"

The frown on the redhead's features was still present, but the anger in her eyes had been replaced by something else...confusion, turmoil. She looked down at her plate, struggling with herself, trying to decide whether or not she should accept the Major's help...

This had gone on too long. She had to know. She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, and looked once more in her roommate's eyes, her own expression blazing, daring the other woman to refuse, to make fun of her. "Okay...but this is only because I've tried everything else, and don't know what to do..."

"I'm home!" 

"Helloooo, Ms.Katsuragi!"

Both women froze, looking at each other. An unspoken plea passed between the two, causing the elder to nod. They'd resolve the issue they had discussed at a later point.

Shinji walked into the kitchen, Kensuke and Toji in tow. "I invited them over here to watch a movie Kensuke suggested..." he said, before either of his female roommates could say anything.

"Oh? Which movie?" The purple haired woman asked, fully aware of how much the two other boys were ogling her.

"Well, I've heard some things about it and was curious... Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail?" 

"The Baka has taste! That's a classic!" She—now I know who this is thanks to the word "baka", but some people may be confused since there are two women present so say who it is said, grinning. "I haven't watched it in a long time, either..."

"What? The Demon is going to watch it with us?" The jock yelled, voicing his horror at the idea.

"Shut up stooge! Anyway, go set it up, I need to go to my room and change..." The last part had been said with a slight inflection in her voice, and a glance towards Misato. The older woman caught it, and imperceptibly nodded.

"I need to finish writing a report. I'll be just a few minutes. Don't start without us, though!" She told Shinji, giving him her best mock-glare. With that, she stood up, following the redhead who had already left. Out of sight of the boys, she slipped into Asuka's room.

The three looked at each other, until Kensuke voiced the question hanging in the air. "What was that all about?"

Toji shrugged. "Eh. Women. I'll never understand them…Anyway, excuse me a minute here," he said, heading towards the bathroom.

Kensuke spoke up as soon as he had left. "You ok, Shinji?"

The other boy blinked. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno. Just a feeling... You still ok with me having a look at the computer later?"

Shinji nodded. "You're always talking about hacking into your father's computer...Maybe you'll find something."

Kensuke nodded. "I'll try. Anyway, let's get the video set..."

----------

_"Camelot!"_

_"Camelot!"_

_"Camelot!"_

_"It's only a model..."_

_"Shh! Knights, I bid you welcome to your new home. Let us ride... to Camelot!"_

****

_     We're knights of the round table_

_     We dance when e'er we're able_

_     We do routines and chorus scenes_

_     With footwork impecc-Able._

_     We dine well here in Camelot_

_     We eat ham and jam and spam a lot_

_     We're knights of the Round Table_

_     Our shows are for-mid-able_

_     But many times, we're given rhymes_

_     That are quite unsing-able_

_     We're opera mad in Camelot_

_     We sing from the diaphragm a lot_

_     Oh we're tough and able_

_     Quite indefatigable_

_     Between our quests we sequin vests_

_     And impersonate Clark Gable_

_     It's a busy life in Camelot_

_     I have to push the pram a lot._

_"Well, on second thought, let's not go to Camelot -- it is a silly place. Right."_

"Okay! Who wants a drink!" Misato crowed as she paused the movie. All hands raised, except for Shinji, who stood up.

"I'll get them." Quickly he noted who wanted what and went to the kitchen. A minute later he returned, handing out a drink to each person and a six-pack of beer to Misato. 

She in turn un-paused the movie as she opened the first can. 

_"__Arthur! Arthur, King of the Britons! Oh, don't grovel! If there's one thing I can't stand, it's people groveling."_

"Hey! What is this crap?" The redhead yelled, looking at the drink she had just sipped.

"What do you mean?" Shinji responded.

"This is orange juice! I asked for a soda!"

"Sorry. We were out of soda..."

_"Sorry!"_

The redhead ground her teeth. "Stop apologizing!"

_"And don't apologize. __Every time I try to talk to someone it's 'sorry this' and 'forgive me that' and 'I'm not worthy'. "_

The silence in the small apartment was deafening. While not totally silent, the sound from the movie was forgotten. Misato, Toji, and Kensuke looked at the movie, then at Asuka, their eyes wide. The redhead herself was raising an eyebrow at the stares in her direction, until the bespectacled boy threw himself on the ground at the feet.

"Asuka is God! The Demon is God! Worship the Demon!"

Toji was shaking his fist at the sky. "There is no God after all!"

Misato, for her part, was laughing harder by the minute. "I _knew_ God was a woman! Hah! Ritsuko owes me some cash for that bet..." She said between laughs.

Both Asuka and Shinji were blushing, the boy because his actions were the cause of this, the redhead at having Kensuke bow at her feet. At that moment, she didn't know whether to feel flattered or to kill the boy. 

He almost sealed his fate in the next instant. "Let me kiss your feet!"

"DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!"  _—_

-----------

"Aida-kun, can I speak with you for a moment?" the Class Rep asked as the boy and his friends were about to leave the classroom for lunch at the cafeteria. 

Kensuke paused, his eyebrows raised, and looked at his friends. "Go ahead, I'll catch up later," he told them, then turned towards the girl.

Hikari waited until the other two were out of sight to start speaking. "Well...I hear you're quite good at using computers?"

The statement in and of itself was enough to confuse the boy. Why would she ask something like this? He focused on the girl, as he had been thinking about the previous night when he had looked at Shinji's computer to see if he could figure anything out. It had been in vain, though. His suspicion aroused, he decided to remain careful. "Well, I'm okay with them... Where'd you hear that?"

"Oh, nowhere...I'm just thinking back to the time when you crashed the whole school network?" Hikari answered, her face a portrait of innocence.

Kensuke blanched, a cold sweat breaking out over his entire body. _How did she...?  I thought I covered my tracks! _ "How do you...?" he started, stopping as the girl shook her head.

"I'm not here to talk about that.  So... Are you good with computers, or not?"

"Fairly good, yeah...  Why?" he answered, now having more reasons than before to guard his words.

"Well..." she started, but hesitated. How could she tell him this? As Kensuke looked at her inquisitively, she made up her mind, deciding that the direct method may be the best way. "A friend of mine is in an online romance, but she doesn't know his name nor where he lives, because something seems to be blocking that..." she paused, considering her words. "I was thinking, maybe you could try to find out who he is?"  

"Hmmm. What's in it for me?" he asked, feeling he might be able to squeeze a reward out of the girl in addition to satiating his own piqued curiosity, and rising suspicions at how familiar the whole situation sounded.

A frown marred the girl's features. "Well, for one, I'd make sure no one finds out who was responsible for that crash..." she remitted, grinning as the boy winced again.  He had obviously forgotten her trump card. She knew she only had to wait.

"Hmph. All right," he said, giving in. "But I'll keep you to that." He continued as the girl nodded, "Okay...what's your friend's handle? And who is she?" 

"I don't think...I _know_ she wouldn't want me to say. I'm already not supposed to talk about this..." she finished, in a whisper.

"How am I supposed to find out, then? Okay, what's this guys handle?"

"His handle? Uhm...Momoku, I think?"

"...Did you just say 'Momoku?'" Kensuke asked, stressing the name as his suspicions were confirmed.

Hikari looked at him in surprise, his reaction not what she had expected. "Er...yes, why?"

_Momoku...that's Shinji's handle! And this RoterRitter girl, she's from Germany. And she's Hikari's friend... There's only one German person in this City..._

"I knew it...I knew it!" he said, shoulders slumping in slumping in defeat like one who had just learned that his friend had unwittingly sold his very soul to the Devil.

Hikari's eyes were wide as she watched the boy. "Knew what? What is it?"

Kensuke glanced at her. "Let me guess. The friend you're speaking of is German...has blue eyes... red hair, and her handle is RoterRitter?"

The Class Rep couldn't have been more surprised if she had just won the national lottery. "How did you...?"

"I didn't, until you told me that handle. At least, I was just guessing about the blue eyes and red hair... In any case, Momoku is one of my friends, and he's told me about the situation."

"Toji is Momoku??" She almost cried out, her face contorted in despair.

"Toji?" Kensuke blinked, his face cast in an incredulous expression.  He laughed aloud as he responded, "I doubt he'd be able to turn a computer on, much less make it past the desktop and into an IRC program."

"Then...it's Shinji? Asuka likes Shinji?" a massive grin crept on her features. "That's so sweet! I knew the two were perfect for each other!" She didn't notice how at this point her classmate was rolling his eyes, trying not to vomit. "So...what should we do about it?"

The boy blinked again. "What do you mean, what should we do about it?"

Hikari sighed. "Boys...how can you be so dense?  We've got to get them together, outside of the Internet!"

"'We'?"

She eyed Kensuke critically. "You and I, of course. I mean, no one else knows."

"Hold the phone here... Why should I help?"

"Why should you help? Because I can still let someone in charge know about certain things-"

"Hey now," the light-haired boy interjected with a frown. "You asked me to figure out who your friend's friend was, and I did. That was the deal.  You can't go back on your word now."

The girl nodded, feeling a twinge of guilt. Threatening Kensuke again was probably not in her best interests, considering she could use his help.  And he _did_ manage to do what she had asked him, with astounding speed.  ... _Maybe I could try this..._ "You're right. Sorry..."

"Anyway, I need to get some lunch...now, if you'll excuse me..."

"How about if I make sure you don't get clean up duty, say, for the rest of the year?"  Hikari asked, trying to keep her tone neutral.

Kensuke paused as he was standing up, eyeing her critically for several seconds.  "Two years," he countered.

"A year and a half," she fired back. "And not a day more."

"Done!" he almost sang as he gripped her hand and pumped it twice, sealing the deal.

Both parties parted with smiles on their faces.

------------

If Ritsuko had a middle name, it would have to be "efficiency."  Her work methods were precise and unwavering, her mind centered directly upon whatever duty she currently was assigned to fulfill.  When she became involved in her work it was as if she had blotted out the entire world, centering all that was her in her job.  

The doctor threw herself into her assignments with a zeal matched only by the fiery pilot of Eva 02. She didn't show this to the world, instead maintaining a nonchalant air, seemingly unfocused on anything beyond the task at hand.

However, she wasn't _completely _unaware of her surroundings, as the computer screen proved quite handy in reflecting things coming up from behind her. Not to mention the aroma of hot coffee—or paint-thinner, as she referred to it as—which was floating into the room.

"What can I do for you, Major?" She asked as she turned around, taking the hot beverage from the other woman's hands.

"What? I'm just bringing a cup of coffee to a friend!" Misato pouted, acting indignant. "Why must you assume that I always have some ulterior motive?"

"Because you usually do. What do you want, Misato?"

Misato grumbled to herself for a moment about the nerve of certain bleach-blonde scientists of her acquaintance before deciding that, if Ritsuko wasn't going to beat around the bush, she might better be straightforward in her questioning. "What do you know about the monitoring and censorship of the Nerv Personnel's communications?"

"The phones? I thought you knew about that."

"No, not the phones..." the purple haired woman answered, hesitating.

"The mail then?"

"No, not the mail either..."

 "Then what, specifically, are you talking about?" Ritsuko asked, already having a good guess at what the Major was driving at. It was only a matter of time, anyway... "Given the sensitivity of, and extreme level of classification assigned to Project E, we're _all_ under a certain degree of surveillance..."

"_Specifically_, I was referring to the censorship of Asuka--"

"Please don't say anymore, Major. I can't discuss that matter, except to say that it was implemented by a higher office. It's mostly for their own good, anyway."

_'Their' own good? Waitaminute... _"So, do we invade the privacy of _all_ the potential pilot candidates like this," she looked up from her mug of coffee. "Or just the ones on the active service roster?"__

Ritsuko stared at Misato, pondering her answer before she turned back to her computer screen. "Don't let your personal feelings for them affect your judgment, Major. And you might tell Kaji that he'd do well to do the same."

The Major blinked in surprise, only half heard herself muttering some manner of lame response to Ritsuko's comment, as her mind reeled with sudden understanding. 

_'Don't allow your personal feelings for them,'_ Ritsuko had said, and _'their own good._' _Plural_. It was too unlikely a coincidence to be true...and too bizarre a coincidence NOT to be. 

_Asuka-chan... and my Shinji-kun?_ _Wai_!

 Misato suddenly became aware of a tightness in her chest, a warm blush on her cheeks, and a desire to hug herself all over -- the latter or which she managed to keep in check, if only barely, so as not to arouse Ritsuko's suspicions further.

"Please, don't insult my intelligence," the blonde scientist said, casting a glare above her shoulder before turning back to the computer. "Only a few people are supposed to know about this. Who do you expect me to _think _told you?"

Misato grunted noncommittally, taking another sip of her coffee to hide the frown that had begun to grow on her features. She spent the next half an hour or so in mostly inconsequential small talk with Ritsuko; Nerv operations, recent synch test results, the new issue of Cosmo, the marriage of their mutual friend Keiko next week... Finally, they grew silent as topics of conversation got scarce. 

Misato, for her part, had been thinking over what she had learned, and formulated her next course of action. She had to find out more about the situation, and the only person she could go to who knew Asuka and Shinji had 'known' each other for over a year was the same person Ritsuko thought had revealed everything to the purple haired woman.

She had to find Kaji.

--------------

As she heard the door close, the Chairman of Project E sighed. She had known this would happen... It didn't mean she had to like it. She had however chosen her path, and would stick to it. No regrets, no remorse. She picked up her phone, pressing on the button for a speed-dial number on a secure line.

After all, she had a report to give.

-------------

Over the course of his long and varied experience with the fairer sex, Kaji Ryoji had learned -- and, he liked to think, mastered -- any number of crucial tactics in the art of seduction. None of which currently seemed to be having any effect on the fair Lieutenant Maya Ibuki. 

Not that he really intended for anything serious to develop between himself and the Nerv technician. Attractive as she was in a cute, almost school-girlish sort of way -- that the blush which currently graced her features only served to emphasize -- she simply wasn't his type. Numerous --unfounded, in his opinion-- rumors of a possible attraction to the lovely Director of Project E on the part of the Lieutenant aside, Maya Ibuki was too innocent, too unstained -- indeed, possibly the only completely sane person on staff at Tokyo-3 Nerv.

This didn't mean, of course, that he didn't like to keep his skills sharp; if she accepted his advances, he would buy her a cup of coffee in the commissary, perhaps invite her out for dinner a few drinks, and commit neither himself or her to anything else; if she declined, then he would have to reevaluate his strategy and try that much harder next time.

Judging by his progress thus far, his once silver tongue had lost much of its once-considerable polish.

Kaji's only warning of the pain he was about to feel was the flickering of Lt. Ibuki's eyes to something behind him, and the widening of those eyes as they focused on the approaching object.

In the next instant, he saw stars, imagined that he heard a nasty crunching sound between his ears as a furious Misato suddenly appeared before him, gripping him by the lapels and savagely thrusting him back against the coffee vending machine.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH MY KIDS???" she roared angrily, having never even noticed the other woman, who was now fleeing for dear life.

Even through the pain, Kaji offered a lopsided grin. "Katsuragi!" He exclaimed, sounding surprised and pleased at the same time. 

Misato smashed him into the coffee machine again, her face contorted in anger. "Cut the crap, asshole!" She didn't notice how Kaji grabbed the now-filled cup of coffee, the release of which had been triggered by the impact of his body on the machine. 

He smiled, handing the steaming cup to her. "Coffee?"

-------

"Don't I even get to have lunch?" Toji whined, looking balefully at his meal as the Class Rep stood in front of his desk.

She in turn had a glare focused in his direction. "There are more important things to be done than filling your stomach, Mr. Suzuhara."

"Like what??" he demanded, now looking at the girl. "I haven't had anything in four or five hours!" So well timed that it almost seemed Toji was able to do so on demand, his stomach growled. "See?"

Hikari rolled her eyes. "Do I have to assign you to cleaning duty for the rest of the year?"

The jock blanched. "...No ma'am," he pouted after a moment's hesitation.

Smiling at her victory, she turned to the other boy. "Well?"

Kensuke snapped out of his daydreaming. "Huh?" 

Shaking her head in irritation, the girl tilted her head towards the bigger boy.

Kensuke looked at Toji, then back at Hikari. "What? This was _your_ _idea_. You explain."

The jock eyed them both, frowning. "Okay, so tell me. What's more important than my lunch?" He asked, kicking his chair back to put his feet on the table, crossing his arms behind his head.

"Well...um...it's about...well..." the girl started, but seemed unable to finish the sentence.

"It's about Shinji. He's gotten himself messed up in an online romance," Kensuke interrupted when it became apparent that Hikari was too tongue-tied to continue.

"Shinji? In a romance? HAH! That's a riot!"

"It gets better..." the other boy started, pausing to fidget with his fingers. "It just so happens... that person is here."

Toji blinked, sitting forward.  "Wait a sec, you're actually serious... so who is it?  Rei?  I bet you she's the type of person who'd be into that kind of thing."

"...Nooo, not Rei... but yes, she's an Eva pilot."

The jock leaned back into his chair, taking on a pensive look. "They found a new pilot then? She's a girl?"

Both looked at Toji with a shocked expression on their face, before Kensuke spoke again. "Er...no, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, what do you mean, 'she's Eva pilot'? There's only one other..." he trailed off as realization hit him. "You're kidding me." He stated, looking at Kensuke. "You don't seriously expect me to believe that Shinji and The Demon...?" He turned to Hikari, who's expression was unreadable. "He's kidding, right? Right?" He turned back to his friend, who was making an effort to look everywhere except at Toji. Finally, the boy slumped into his chair. "Aaw, JEEZ!"

After a minute of silence, he looked at the other two. "So, how do we keep them from getting together?"

"Suzuhara!" Hikari said, smacking him upside the head. 

"Ow! What?? It's not like you want to get them together, do you?" Receiving only a glare from the girl, he looked at his friend. "No way. We're not going to do that. We ain't traitors, are we, Ken?"

The boy in question remained silent, still not trusting himself to look in the jock's direction, who once again voiced his thoughts on the matter.

"Aww, JEEZ!"

------------

"...So that's pretty much the long and the short of it. The pilots of Units One and Two have known each other, and if I'm any judge, been growing more and more fond of one another, for something going on fourteen months now."  Kaji fell silent after explaining the best he could to the woman sitting in front of him.

Anger was emanating from the Major so strongly Kaji could practically feel its heat. "And you were planning on telling me WHEN??" Misato growled, almost crushing the cup of coffee she held.

The man examined his fingernails. "Relax, Katsuragi-" he started, before being interrupted by the Major.

"Then you let me have them live together during the training? They're thirteen and fourteen years old! They're about ninety-five percent hormones right now! I don't even know if either one of them knows anything about protection! I've never even TALKED to them about sex! Well...except telling them they'd damn well better not get themselves in trouble..." Misato paused, mulling over what she had just said. "Christ, I don't WANT to talk to them about sex!"

"..._They_ don't know." Kaji continued, ignoring the interruption. "And the way things stand between them right now, I don't think you need to worry about Ikari and Sohryu 'experimenting' any time soon. I doubt they'd even consider _kissing _each other."

Misato leaned back on the seat, staring at the ceiling of the lounge she was in. She couldn't even start making heads or tails of the situation, much less plan on how to deal with it. She interrupted her train of thought as Kaji cleared his throat.

"How much do you know about the Dead Sea Scrolls, Katsuragi?"

"Only that they predicted the coming of the angels, and what you told me about starting Third impact with Adam..."

The eternally unshaven man took a deep breath, and slowly expelled it. "There's more to them than just that... The translations in Seele's hands date from when they first came into their possession. However...recent translations, under orders from NERV command, have found _another_ translation." Looking up from his drink, he noticed he had the Major's full attention. "Both groups are working towards the first, but it seems to me that signs are pointing towards the second coming to pass. I don't think Seele knows anything about these new translations. But Ikari does, and he will do _anything_ to prevent the events they predict from interfering with his own agenda."

Misato blanched, and swallowed the knot of fear that had built in her throat. "What... prophecy are you talking about?"

"'_The final tests will be those of Spirit and Heart, the Champions of Man chosen by Destiny will stand as One and Man will have prevailed against the Wrath of God and the dawn of a New Age for Man will rise upon the horizon. Should the Champions fail to stand as One, the efforts of all Men shall have been for naught, for no Man is an island, and the burden of Fate cannot be placed upon the shoulders of any but those who are one in Mind, Body, and Soul.'"_ He cleared his throat, and grinned at the purple haired woman. "Don't quote me on that, though. May have forgotten a word or two."

"What does that all mean?" Misato asked, shaking her head in confusion.

"The Scrolls aren't that specific. But the way Ikari's people read it, the translation suggests that if the Pilots can overcome their own neuroses long enough to find sufficient value in themselves that they can trust or even love another, then...I don't know, really. But something big that Ikari doesn't want Seele to know about, and for his own part is determined to prevent at all costs."

"Great," Misato grumbled, "That's even more cryptic than the original translation." She sighed, looking down the corridor, in search of an answer. "And this all has to do with my ki-with Asuka and Shinji, right?"

Kaji shrugged, smiling noncommittally. "That's what I'm guessing. And by the looks of it, Ikari is too." 

Her next reaction took him totally by surprise.

She started laughing, laying down her head on the table. "And here I actually thought you were serious for a moment! 'The world can be saved by the love of two Innocents!' Sorry, but sounds like so much idealistic garbage, Kaji... Something out of a bad Disney movie or something."

"'Bad Disney movie'? Isn't that a bit repetitive?" the agent grinned, which got a chuckle out of the Major.

"Nice try, but no cigar. Therefore, I WILL be talking to Shinji and Asuka separately or together about sex and protection soon, and you will HELP me." She emphasized her statement by jabbing Kaji in the ribs with a finger. Suddenly she snapped to attention, focusing her gaze on the corridor. Kaji had followed, having also heard the approaching footsteps. They quickly stood up, each facing one of the machines." 

Misato slightly turned her head to take a look at the new arrival, as Kaji stepped aside to let them grab a drink.

"Major. Kaji. Can't keep yourselves out of trouble for even a half an hour, I see," Ritsuko Akagi commented, not deigning to glance at either one.

"Oh, I'm just doing my job... you know, gathering intelligence to decide on a course of action." The purple haired woman paused. "After all, you practically _sent_ me here."

The blonde haired scientist caught herself before she let out the gasp the comment had caused. _Misato hadn't known? Oh shit..._She had been the one to let the Major on to the whole situation... She had to keep this under wraps, or she'd feel the repercussions. 

Her lips quirked in secret glee. She knew she could pay her "friend" back for the trouble she was causing. Picking up her coffee, she turned away, nodding at Kaji who still stood next to the machine. "By the way, Major Katsuragi... you're being summoned to Commander Ikari's office. Any minute now."

The purple haired woman's eyes widened at the comment, keeping her eyes on the other woman until she disappeared around a corner. At that moment, Misato's cell phone rang, startling her out of her reverie. She answered the call, and blanched at the voice on the other end. 

Indeed, the summons had arrived.

----------

"Me?? Why should _I_ be the one to talk to her?" the boy with the glasses demanded, staring at the other members of the group. "You're the girl, _you_ talk to her!"

"Oh, all right," Hikari sighed, as the two boys vehemently refused to be the one to talk to Rei. "Okay, then help me here. How do I start?"

"What d'you mean? Just say that Shinji and the Kraut-bi-" the jock caught himself as the girl glared at him. "I mean Sohryu are in love online, and that you want to get them together here too," he finished, looking at the still glaring Hikari. "What?"

"Boys..." the girl said, shaking her head. "We've got to talk to Ayanami now... I don't know how long Asuka will be gone for lunch. Where's Ikari, anyway?"

"I think I saw him on the roof, eating..." Kensuke answered. "So, how DO we breach the subject to Ayanami?"

"Breach which subject?"

The three nearly jumped out of their skins as a soft voice interrupted them. They turned around to face the subject of their discussion, the First Child.

"Oh! Rei!" Hikari stammered nervously. "Would you...care to join us?"

"Why?"

"Well...we were just having lunch...and..."

"I have already eaten...and the school meals are not to my liking..."

"Well...and we were talking about...um..."

"The Class Rep wants to fix up Ikari and Sohryu," interrupted Toji, "and she figures that since they're Eva pilots, and you're a pilot, you could help."

Rei ignored the yelp of pain that followed the Class representative swatting Suzuhara. "I am not certain I understand, Class Representative Horaki...'fix up?' Is Suzuhara-san implying that Sohryu-san and Ikari-kun are unwell?"

"No, no, not at all. He means..." _my God,_ Hikari thought to herself. _Asuka was right...the poor girl has no social skills at ALL! _"He means that..." _How to explain this_? 

For her part, Ayanami remained silent. Hikari couldn't help but fidget uncomfortably beneath the girl's crimson stare. 

"Well...the thing is, Shinji and Asuka like each other..." she started, waiting for a reaction from the other girl. Getting none, she continued. "But...they don't KNOW that they like each other..." _This is hopeless, _Hikari thought to herself._ Even *I* think the whole thing is confusing. How am I supposed to explain it to Rei?_

"'Like'...?", the blue haired girl interrupted. "Isn't Ikari-kun well liked by all of our classmates? And Sohryu-san seems quite popular..."

"No, no, that's not what I mean." Hikari answered, growing more flustered by the minute. "I mean...well...not like, but, you know, **_Like_**...?"

Toji sighed. Once again, it was up to him to pull the Class Rep's cute little bacon out of the fire. "What she's trying to say this time is that Ikari and Sohryu and getting all lovey-dovey in some online relationship -- and neither of them realize it. Class Rep here wants to rectify the situation."

Rei looked at the large boy with a sense of wonder and uncertainty. "Lovey...dovey...?" she said. For their part, Kensuke and Hikari reserved their own senses of wonder for the fact that Toji had just used the word 'rectify' - properly - in a sentence.

"What does it mean...'lovey-dovey?' And how does it relate to Ikari-kun's online relationship with Pilot Sohryu?" the blue haired girl asked.

"You mean...you knew about that already?" Kensuke asked. And he thought _he_ had figured it out quickly...

"I am...not permitted to speak of it..." The girl said, hesitating. "Excuse me, Class Representative Horaki...Aida-san, Suzuhara-san...Thank you for inviting me to join you..."

"Wait!" Hikari said as Rei turned around to leave, and stood up to grab the other girl's arm. "You're a woman too...can't you see how perfect they are for each other? And the whole online thing...it's like it was _meant _to be!"

The First Child was about to ask what the other girl meant, but paused as she noticed the two boys holding their stomachs, seemingly gagging. "Are Aida-san and Suzuhara-san ill...?" 

"No," the freckled girl answered, glaring at the two boys. "Just macho idiots."

"'Macho'?"

"Never mind..."Hikari said with a sigh, kicking Toji for good measure. 

Rei considered the Class representative's proposal, ignoring the yelp of pain from the large boy; on the one hand, she... cared for Ikari-kun in a way she couldn't explain, and wished for him to be happy; on the other, there was her… dislike for the Second Child -- a dislike which bordered on, were she able to put a name to the emotion, jealousy. 

And then there were the Commander's orders... Under no circumstances was she to speak to either the Second or Third Children, or their respective wards, or anyone else in Nerv outside the command staff not specifically cleared for the information by the Commander's office, of the online relationship shared by the Second and Third.

Yet...technically, her classmates were NOT Nerv personnel...and they seemed to already know of the classified relationship shared by Sohryu and Ikari...

Her line of reasoning was broken when she realized that the Class representative was holding her gaze, a desperate, somehow sad look in her eyes. "Please?" the other girl begged. Deep within, Rei's emotions conflicted. On one hand, refusing would help one Ikari…. On the other hand, accepting would mean helping the younger Ikari…

"...Can I reconsider my refusal to join?" The First Child asked, looking at the Class Rep. Her decision was made.

The other three remained silent, then started to laugh, trying to keep their mirth under control, which confused the albino girl to no end. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No. Of course you can reconsider," said Hikari, mentally chiding herself for thinking Rei had been trying to make a joke. "Thank you, Rei."

"For what?" The blue haired girl asked. "I haven't done anything..."

"Nothing, don't worry about it…" The other girl said, smiling, and sat back down. It was now time to discuss the matter at hand.

----------------

Anyone who knew Misato Katsuragi would have been surprised to see her now. It was already dark, and the streets were practically deserted, giving her free reign to tear down the road like a demon with hellfire on his heels. 

Yet her speed never breached the posted limit, and while her eyes were focused on the road ahead, her thoughts were troubled with far more distant matters. 

Eventually, the mostly darkened bulk of apartment block loomed before her; Misato eased her car into her parking space, with none of the squealing of tires that normally announced her arrival.

She remained seated behind the wheel for a few moments, half-listening to the ticking of the cooling engine, her mind slowly working its way back to the present. Finally, she climbed out of the car and trudged towards the entrance to the apartment.

{{

_"I assume you know why you're here, Major Katsuragi." The old man asked, assuming his position of Sub-Commander by standing behind the Commander himself, who had remained seated._

_"I can venture a guess, sir." She answered, showing none of the nervousness she felt._

_Fuyutsuki went on. "You are not to investigate any further in this matter, nor undertake any measures relating to this. And under no circumstances will you speak of this matter to anyone, be they related to NERV or not. Am I being clear?"_

_Misato remained silent, a battle being fought inside of her. As a soldier, she had to obey orders, but this… she couldn't help but question the situation._

_The silence was broken by the only seated person in the room. "Refusing a direct order can and will be considered as treason, Major Katsuragi. Do you understand?" The Supreme Commander asked, his voice, his whole countenance as intimidating as ever._

_"Yes, sir." She automatically responded, years of training kicking in._

_"Dismissed."}}_

Misato paused at the door to her apartment. By now, the kids would be home… what would she say to them? What _could_ she say? She couldn't let them see her like this, they'd immediately know something was wrong…  

As she opened the door, she sighed in relief. _Thank God for small favors_...from the sound of things Asuka and Shinji were home, busy in the kitchen. _Probably studying or something…_ At least she wouldn't have to face them before she could change, freshen up, and compose herself.

"...Baka hentai! Trying to look up my shorts this time? Hoping you'd get a peek at my panties, weren't you?!"

"No! I'm not...I mean I never...I mean-"

"Arrgh! Ever since the other morning you've been getting more and more perverted by the moment!"

"It's not my fault! YOU were the one digging around in the refrigerator with your...your...your HIND END sticking out!"

_'After the other morning'...known each other for over a year online...been growing fond of one another...ninety-five percent hormones...oh, GOD... I'm too late with The Talk! _Misato dropped everything she carried, and rushed towards the kitchen, hoping she wasn't too late.

She was greeted with the sight of Shinji sitting at the table, schoolbooks in front of him, and Asuka next to the fridge, a can of juice frozen before her lips. Both were looking at her with startled looks on their face, surprised at her sudden arrival.

"Misato?" Shinji asked cautiously.

"Is something wrong, Misato?" Asuka added, taking a drink of her juice.

"Hey, I'm...glad...you're both here. There's something I wanted to...talk to you about"

"Not more synch tests, I hope." The red haired girl said, setting her drink down on the table.

"No...Um, nothing to do with synchronization...exactly..." the older woman answered, wondering how she was going to do this.

Asuka eyed Misato suspiciously, especially considering the formers' emphasis on the word 'synchronization'. "Whaaatever. Can we at least eat first? It's getting late, and I'm hungry."

"I guess. I need to get freshened up anyway. Shinji, what's for dinner?"

"Uhm…it's your turn to cook, Misato." The boy responded.

Misato stared at the two for a moment, completely lost. She blinked, snapping out of it. "Oh. Uh…Asuka, order some takeout… I need a shower. We'll talk after that."

"Why me? Why not Shinji?"

"Just do it!"

----------------

The door to the apartment swung open with a slight creak, the faint, mildly discomforting scent of dust mingled with poorly circulated air spilling out into the hallway. A pale, frail appearing young girl - the otherwise deserted tenement's only resident - let herself into the darkened foyer, not bothering to lock the door behind her nor turn on the lights; She knew perfectly well that Nerv Security regularly ousted such squatters and vagrants that might disturb her privacy or attempt to do her harm; and she knew well enough where everything was, and could navigate the sparsely furnished apartment or locate what few items she might need just as easily in darkness as she could in light.

She kicked off her shoes just inside the door, dropping her schoolbooks and laptop in a heap next to them, and made her way into the apartment, loosening the bow at her neck and unbuttoning her blouse and easing her jumper off her shoulders as she went.

By the time she had reached the small bathroom at the rear of the apartment, she had shed all but her stockings and undergarments. Once these last were gone, she stepped into the shower stall and into the welcome embrace of warm, steadily flowing water.

She stood under the beating spray, allowing it to rinse away the day's accumulated sweat and grime and ease her tired muscles, luxuriating under its gentle massage for several minutes.

Finally she decided -- and after noting that the water was beginning to run cold -- that she had indulged herself for long enough, she retrieved a small bar of soap and a tube of shampoo, performing one last quick wash and rinse before turning the water off and exiting the shower.

Putting on her nightshirt, she headed towards her bed, sitting down on it. She stared at the wall, lost in thought, before lying down to sleep.

Yet sleep eluded her, as she thought over the events of the day, the most recent one foremost in her mind…

_{{"Are you feeling ill tonight Rei? You're not eating your dinner."_

_"I am well, Commander. Thank you for your concern. I am just...not hungry"_

_Gendo frowned, considering this for a moment. "Hmmm...Your metabolism allows for a very specific caloric intake...Perhaps I should have Dr. Akagi adjust your medication."_

_"I do not believe that will be necessary Commander...but I will see Dr. Akagi if that is your wish."_

_Gendo looked thoughtful for a moment longer, before turning his attention back to his own salad. "Very well. But you WILL keep me informed, I hope. And if your...lack of appetite...persists, we will have to take appropriate measures."_

_"Yes Commander."_

_"Did anything else happen today Rei? Anything I should know about?"_

_"Some..." she chewed over the word for a moment, it felt so alien in her mouth, " friends at school invited me to join them after classes tomorrow. Will this be acceptable?"_

_Gendo looked up, staring at her for a long moment over the tops of his glasses before commenting "You have...tests tomorrow."_

_"Yes Commander," she replied, returning his unwavering stare with one of her own. "I had hoped that Dr. Akagi might be able to postpone my tests for a few hours? If this meets with your approval, of course."_

_"Do I know these...'friends' of yours?" Gendo asked, his voice turning gruff, suddenly losing interest in his own dinner._

_"I do not think so, Commander," Rei answered. "One is Class Representative Horaki, and the others are Aida-san and Suzuhara-san. Ikari-kun's friends."_

_Gendo growled deep in his throat, and for a moment Rei felt certain he was going to deny her request. The thought disappointed her more than she would have expected. "Very well. I will speak to Dr. Akagi about the possibility of rescheduling your tests. You will be informed of the new time tomorrow, and I will expect you to arrive **promptly**."_

_"Thank you, sir."_

_"Perhaps you should go home Rei. I'm still not pleased with this 'loss of appetite.' Get some extra sleep, and report to me before your classes tomorrow. I wish to know if you are still not feeling yourself."_

_"Yes sir. Thank you sir."_

_"Rei..."_

_"Commander?"_

_"I hope you...enjoy...yourself with your...friends."}}_

----------------

In an apartment on the other side of town, four people went on with their lives. Two of them slept, in their respective bed and fridge, while the other two were mulling over the events of the last half hour. 

The girl, her red hair strewn all over, lay flat on the floor, staring at the ceiling as she thought about what had just transpired. The boy sat hunched over on the couch, blushing as furiously as he had during the whole talk, a pillow held protectively over his groin. He was trying his best to look anywhere except at the girl in front of him, especially at how her shirt rose and fell as her chest went through the motions of breathing in…and out…and in…and…

"That…" Asuka suddenly said, startling the boy out of his staring, nearly frightening him out of his skin. "…was the most harrowing experience I've ever had."

Shinji nodded, the only thing he could do at the moment without fear of saying something he might regret later on.

"I mean… the _way _she described it all… And those...those...those 'visual aids.' I mean, eeew, I did not want to know that she had one of _those_."

The boy remained silent, pondering how to answer the statement. Coming up blank, he decided to ask a question. "What do you suppose brought it on?"

"Oh, I don't know," the girl answered, glancing away from the ceiling to look at the boy. "PROBABLY because I'm living with a sex-crazed little pervert who likes to sneak peeks at me while I'm in the bath and leer at my ass every time I go for a can of juice!"

"I am not!" Shinji vehemently responded.

"Do you deny that you got off seeing me the other day in the bath or that you like looking at my butt!?"

"No! I mean yes! I mean...I mean...aw, forget it!" With that, he got up and stormed to his room, still holding the pillow in front of him.

Asuka, initially caught off guard at his response, stomped over to his room. "And you just STAY in there! You get any ideas in the middle of the night and I swear I'll castrate you with my bare hands!!" She just about yelled through the door, then turned around and slammed the door to her own.

Silence returned to the apartment, as the remaining residents followed the other two into slumber.

-------------

"...Thank you for accommodating us, Dr. Akagi. I'm sure that Rei will be most appreciative of the change in schedule." He gently placed the telephone's handset back in its cradle without wishing the Director of Project E and his part-time lover goodnight.

_Half full…half empty… the Supreme Commander of Nerv thought in a moment of uncharacteristic whimsy, __does it really make all that much of a difference in the end? He considered the tumbler in his right hand, the way in which the dim outline of the __Systema Sephiroticum which graced the cavernous chamber's ceiling twisted and refracted when viewed through the glass and the two precious fingers worth of rich, amber liquid therein. After a moment's more introspection he raised the glass in a silent toast before bringing it to his lips, slowly draining its contents._

As the drink burned its way down his throat, even the impenetrable Gendo Ikari was barely ably to contain a wince. As in his University days he had not been one to overindulge and with the exception of one rather…explosive incident immediately following Yui's accident, he had imbibed only very rarely over the last decade. He no longer had even the small tolerance which he had once possessed.  Occasionally, though, even the most powerful man in the world required something to ease the shaking of his hands and to warm the chill in whatever was left of his soul. So long as there was no one present who could bear witness to his momentary lapse into anything less than absolute control.

There was no use in denying it: the incident with Rei had left him shaken. In and of itself, it might seem harmless enough…to one who did not fully comprehend and appreciate the importance of her place in Instrumentality. Coming from one of the other Children it might at least have not been quite so entirely unexpected; the Sohryu girl and the Third could do whatever they wished outside of Nerv…within limits. Rei, however, was another matter. He had raised her as a daughter, as best he could, and he did love her after his own fashion, but the child had a Destiny. Hers was a very specific role to play, and she had an obligation to see it through. Until tonight he had never questioned that she was anything but content to do so.

This sudden change in her behavior – slight as it might be – was somewhat unnerving.

Coming from any of the other Children, the request would not have surprised him. The Second, especially, had early on seemed to be of the mistaken impression that Nerv's schedule revolved around her own, and not the other way around. It had finally taken his personal intervention to convince the girl that "That may well _be the way that they do things in Germany, Pilot Sohryu. I would remind you, however, that you are in Tokyo-3 now, not Berlin." She had held up for perhaps as long as five seconds under his withering gaze before shrinking visibly and replying with a mumbled, if still defiant "Yes, sir."  And even if there was no noticeable change in her general attitude following his reprimand, she had never again complained about one of her Synch tests causing her to miss another one of her precious lingerie sales or whatnot. _

But Rei…it had always been his understanding that Rei _despised school. She only kept up her attendance at all because he insisted that certain appearances must be maintained. The days were long and boring, the classes uninteresting or frustrating; she did quite well in math, languages, and the sciences, but her grades were only marginal at best in the arts, literature, and the humanities. She was possessed of an intellect to match the Second's much-vaunted genius, and maybe even surpass it. But socially…socially her development was sorely retarded, for lack of a better word. For all of her considerable intelligence, no amount of pragmatism or careful, logical analysis had ever allowed her to fathom the ways of her peers or connect with them on any significant level. He recalled asking her one day, some time after having her enrolled, how school was going. Was she enjoying her classes?_

School was fine, she had replied, as were the classes he had enrolled her in…though she admitted to not fully understanding their necessity, as she was already able to read and write Japanese and English at a university graduate level, and her knowledge of higher mathematics and the life and physical sciences was similarly advanced. She was, however, taking a great deal of pleasure in her music classes, and during the course of her physical education class she had discovered that she quite enjoyed swimming.

Good, good. And her classmates? Was she getting on well with them also? This time she had hesitated for a moment before replying.

Her classmates were…difficult, she admitted. At first she had been the subject of much unwanted attention…especially from the male members of her class, many of whom had claimed to find her appearance 'cool' or 'hot' – how was it possible to be both at one time, she had wanted to know, and for that matter she was rather confused as to how either could describe her; she could not recall ever having caught a chill or having felt feverish in class – and even a few who had expressed an interest in courting her – advances which she had uniformly refused. 

The female members were in their own way even more distressing, with their gossip and uncomfortable personal queries and their endless obsession over seemingly inconsequential nonsense such as which teen 'idol'_ was the cutest, which male classmate was the most desirable, the terribly arcane (to her, in any case) complexities of the most popular __shoujo anime and television romance novels. _

Then there had been the rather distressing incident not long before, in which one of her classmates had presumed to…compare sizes…while she was changing back into her _fuku after physical education class; startled and alarmed by the sudden 'assault' from the rear and the laughter in her ear, she had instinctively allowed her training to take over and gone into defensive mode. As a result of the encounter, one girl had left the changing room without further incident, while the second had found herself nursing a nearly broken wrist and possessed of a newfound respect for others' personal space._

After this incident the other girls had begun giving her a wide berth, and in fairly short order so had even the most persistent of the boys. Rei was not deaf to the rumors that had subsequently began to circulate through the classroom, or the whispered names as she passed a group of her classmates in the hallway or entered a room, or the occasional shouted taunt inside the changing rooms or cafeteria, or on the school courtyard. 

But she was undisturbed by these petty cruelties. If her peers wished to toss about accusations of lesbo or bull-dyke or frigid bitch (or cunt, an insult which seemed to be the sole domain of the girl who had accosted her following physical education class), or if they thought her strange, unfriendly, 'a freak,' or 'a weirdo,' that was their prerogative. She finally had her privacy, her solitude. And it suited her just fine.

In short, Rei didn't _have friends. Had __never really had friends. And she had always seemed to be happy with the arrangement. Children her own age confused and disturbed her. She had never really enjoyed associating with them, her uneasy relationship with the Third being the exception that proved the rule. She simply wasn't socially or emotionally equipped to handle the complexities of adolescent society. And yet here she was requesting a postponement of her tests, even though she __knew how important these regularly scheduled examinations were, so that she could spend __more time in the company of her 'peers.'_

It was unfathomable, and more than a bit unsettling.

He could have denied her request of course, and ordered her to report to Akagi for her daily regimen of tests at the scheduled time, and been done with it. It was one thing for Rei to make an unexpected request of him, and in truth not quite without precedent; it would be quite another for her to disobey a direct order. He could have refused her. He should have. Still, when he recalled the way she had stared back at him with those hard, unflinching crimson eyes, almost seeming to defy him to do so…he shook his head tiredly and poured himself another two fingers' worth from the bottle near at hand. The last thing that he needed on his hands at this point was another rebellious teenager.

And then of course there was the entire question of the Second Prophecy, which had been weighing heavily on his mind of late. It was more than a year since the Committee approached him with the first of a series of vague questions and subtle insinuations, questions and insinuations which were growing less vague and less subtle with every passing week. While they had no proof as yet – they would have long since have confronted him openly if they did – their suspicions were definitely aroused; they knew that he was hiding something from them- holding something back. 

_…Thus in the final days of the Trials, two of the Chosen shall be cruelly Tested of Spirit and of Heart; and they shall stand as One, and Man shall prevail, and his line shall endure for another Age of Prosperity; or else they shall stand not as One, but alone, and they shall despair, in their despondency the efforts of Men shall come to naught, and darkness fall over the Earth for all Eternity..._

It was not the only portion of the Prophecy yet translated, only the longest and least fragmented to date. The parchment it was recorded on was ancient beyond years and extremely brittle, as were even the best-preserved of the Qumran Scrolls, but unlike those in the possession or under the direct control of Seele, its condition had deteriorated rapidly following it's discovery and removal from the cave on Israel's Dead Sea, where it had previously lain undisturbed for centuries. By the time that it had been 'liberated' from the personal library of a private collector in Eastern Europe – far from the climate controlled, bacteria and parasite-free 'clean' vaults maintained by Seele – it was literally disintegrating. The writings it contained, when not completely obliterated, were largely or very nearly illegible.

No expense had been spared in restoring and translating the remaining fragments, no small price paid –either monetarily or in blood – to keep the Scroll's existence and what it foretold a secret. A secret which was now out. One had to give Agent Kaji credit; the man, however annoying, had a remarkable talent for 'putting the pieces together'. No discretionary skills whatsoever, but he was definitely much too clever for his own good. Something would have to be done about him. And soon. But that was a matter for another night, another time.

In the beginning, the precautionary measures had been just that: precautionary. The Prophecy was vague and incomplete, the Scroll they were contained upon fragmented and falling apart, and there seemed little reason to take its predictions too seriously. It had seemed plain that only one set of obviously conflicting prophecies might come to pass, and both Seele and 'his' Nerv – each one after their own fashion – were working towards the First. There seemed even less reason to assume that his son and the Second Child were the Chosen Ones whose coming was foretold; even their unlikely meeting and subsequent friendship through the Internet had seemed to be little more than an outlandish coincidence at the time. Still, twice safe was better than once sorry, hence the locks on the Children's computers and the careful monitoring of their communications.

It had been something of a joke at first. Intelligence had had a heyday with it. Even Akagi, for several months the only person connected to Nerv save for himself and Fuyutsuki who knew of the Scroll and what it contained, had referred to the it laughingly in a few of their more private moments. Even he had, on more than one occasion, questioned the necessity of such relatively drastic controls.

Things had changed drastically with the arrival of the Second Child.

Even before the Sohryu girl had set foot on Japanese soil, she and the Third had effectively joined forces against the Sixth Angel in a desperate – and by all accounts impossible, with the equipment they were using – battle at sea. Bare weeks later they managed an even greater feat when, despite severe time constraints and their own seemingly diametrically opposed personalities, they managed to successfully synchronize in battle and defeat the self-replicating Seventh.

And _then…__then the Third…his son, his indecisive, whining brat of a son…Yui's beautiful boy…had leapt into the caldera of a live volcano – a __live volcano! Even with the Eva's armor plating the pain must have been excruciating! – and done so in direct contradiction of orders, to go to the aid of the Second following her successful battle against, but failed capture attempt of, the newly-awakened Eighth. Despite himself, he had never been more proud of Shinji than he had on that day – a matter which he found rather irksome; there was little room in his carefully laid plans for sentimentality. He saw to it personally that the boy was made to understand the price of any further such mutiny on his return to Tokyo-3 three days hence._

In any case, it was not long after this he had begun to reevaluate the validity of the Second Prophecy. Perhaps the phenomenal teamwork displayed by the Second and Third in three of their first four sorties together had been nothing but a coincidence. Perhaps not. In any case, surveillance of the Children had been heightened and the censorship of their communications continued. And so the _status quo had been preserved for a time. His son and the Sohryu girl performed well together in the field, while maintaining an intense and mutual personal animosity, or at least a complete lack of regard for one another, in their off-duty hours – the occasional and (almost) inconsequential Internet tête-à-têtes notwithstanding._

Until recently.

In their earlier conversations, the context of their discussions had been limited to mostly insignificant – except to themselves – details of their personal lives, and a few adolescent attempts at flirtation (these mostly on the part of the Second Child). Although there had been a few minor breaches of security – it had proven necessary early on to hack into the Children's respective computers (the simplest of feats when one had access to the Magi) and remove certain files which might complicate matters when his son and the Sohryu girl finally _did meet in person; then there had been the incident in which the Children had been allowed to reveal to one another the fates of their mothers, as well as the uneasy relationships that each of them shared with their surviving parent (after which slip-up in security the human factor had been removed more or less completely from the loop, and surveillance and censorship of the Children's communications relegated almost entirely to the handling of the Magi) – there seemed to be little or no __seriously alarming content contained therein. Certainly nothing to justify his taking more drastic measures than he already had._

However, the transcripts of their most recent exchanges were slightly more troubling. At the very least they suggested that maintaining positive control of the situation might soon become a considerably more complicated and hands-on exercise than simply monitoring and doctoring the odd electronic conversation had been. 

Taking a file dated a few days previously from a drawer hidden in the apparently seamless front of his desk, he extracted the pages contained therein and began to read the report, pausing occasionally to consider the hand-written remarks Dr. Akagi had made in her precise script along the pages' margins. The Sohryu girl was beginning to show her frustration with the situation far more aggressively that she had until recently, and despite all of his best attempts at passive security Gendo knew only too well what the pilot of Unit 02 was capable of when she set her mind to it. 

In addition, Shinji was no fool. A spineless, dithering milquetoast of a boy, perhaps, but no fool. He was, after all, Yui's son. If matters were allowed to continue in this manner it was only a matter of time before he began to put the pieces together, as Gendo had reason to believe he had almost done some months earlier during his first meeting with the Second on the _Over The Rainbow. Even if he didn't make the seemingly obvious connection, there remained other considerations which could no longer be ignored._

Even if these thoughts were not expected in a man his age, there seemed little sense in denying that the Sohryu girl was a stunning young woman, tall and exotic and attractively built, especially for one who was not yet aged fourteen years.  She was slender of build and long of leg, and her long flame-colored hair was impossible not to take note of…especially in a culture where a young woman who wore a coppery tint in her hair was often considered to be a 'bad' girl. And her teasingly promiscuous nature – ever since the week they had spent together during their Synch training, Intelligence had kept him well aware of her flirtations with the Third, both subtle and overt, and despite the fact that they never seemed to be in any real earnest – did little to alleviate that image.  No doubt her spirit only made her that much more appealing to the boy. 

As Major Katsuragi had so aptly noted earlier that same day, both Children were at an age where they were extremely susceptible to the overabundance of their own hormones. Gendo was not quite so old that he could not remember being the Third's age, or the temptation borne by a pretty face or an attractive figure. Despite the convenience factor, it was not the first time that he found himself questioning his own wisdom in having approved the Major's request that both Children be billeted at her own residence.

Not that sex was really the issue here; so long as said activity did not negatively impact on their Synch ratios or combat performance the Commander had little real interest in who, if anyone, his pilots chose to consort with. And he would be the first to express doubt as to whether or not his son even possessed the necessary backbone to make the necessary initial advances. Her psychological profile indicated a better than 89% probability that the Second would not willingly allow herself to be placed in a situation where she might face summary rejection or abandonment, so there was little likelihood of her making the first move either. 

Still, stranger things had happened. And though sex was not love, and though the odds of its ever growing into something stronger or more lasting than simple passion and desire were long, such things did happen, and every day. The fragments of the Scroll of the Second Prophecy thus far translated made no mention of how the Chosen might come together, only what could happen if they _did, and as a result Gendo had very little specific idea of what to be on guard for. All that he could be reasonably certain of was that if the Second and the Third were to become intimate, if one or the other were to drop their guard for even a moment and allow the other to see how truly alike they really were…_

A damage control assessment would have to be drawn up immediately. The Second could be dealt with if need be. Despite her performance to date, she had never been vital to the Project. Even Seele's plans for her were, ultimately, largely symbolic. And for his own part she represented little more than a spare – if admittedly exceptional – pilot. But she was not essential to his Realization of Instrumentality. She could be replaced, removed from the equation if need be. Shipped back to Germany ideally, Unit 02 remaining dormant until Akagi was able to find a suitable replacement pilot. Assuming a worst case scenario there were always other, more…final options. But until he saw or learned of evidence to the contrary, he would prefer to assume that the well-oiled machine that was Nerv still operated according to his own carefully laid plans. 

Direct action could always be taken in a crisis situation – everyone on Nerv's command staff, as well as the Children and a few other essential or irreplaceable individuals, enjoyed a certain amount of protective surveillance…but that protection could quickly turn deadly at a single word from Ikari's office – but until such action was called for, he would continue to make use of careful manipulation in place of such heavy handed techniques as assassination and murder. After all, these were Children, not machines. He might be driven, but he was not an entirely inhuman…despite what he knew others to believe to the contrary.

Not quite.

Not yet.

Gendo paused for a moment in his meditations to finish the remainder of his second drink, this one going down somewhat easier than the first. Almost without thinking he reached for the bottle and poured himself a third libation with hands that were almost imperceptibly less sure of themselves than he recalled them being when he had first performed this same feat less than an hour ago. He stared at his third drink of the evening for a long moment and then back at the bottle, before finally adding what little remained in the ornate crystal decanter – actually somewhat more than there had appeared to be – to his glass and slamming the entire thing back in one long, burning draught.

And this time the mask did slip, if only for a moment. The sound of the now-empty glass being placed heavily upon the surface of the desk echoed thorough the cavernous chamber like a gunshot, and was followed only seconds later by the shattering of the bottle as it fell to the floor. If one listened very carefully, they might imagine that they heard the sound of a man gasping for breath, followed by a ragged cough. But a moment later, were one curious enough – or equally foolish enough – to peer inside the confines of this particular office at this late hour and to do so unbidden, one would only find its master; seated behind his enormous desk and staring back from behind steepled fingers, his unwavering gaze no longer softened even by his ever-present glasses.

Finally the Commander stood, lifting the empty tumbler almost daintily and wiping away the smear of moisture that it had left behind with a handkerchief; then with equally exaggerated care he set about carefully sopping up the rest of the drops and specks of alcohol, no matter how small, which had somehow managed to find their way to the surface of his desk. When this exercise was complete the glass, handkerchief folded neatly inside, went on the floor next to the desk amongst the shards of the broken flagon, where the entire lot could be cleaned up by his people in the morning. He had good people. They knew how not to ask unfortunate questions, or spread unfortunate rumors. Over the years, they had cleaned far worse things off the floor of his office. Not a few of which had wound up in unmarked graves. 

It occurred to Gendo Ikari that he was growing maudlin. It further occurred to him that he was slightly more than a just little inebriated. And it finally occurred to him that at this exact moment, he simply didn't give that much of a damn.

He stared at the rubble of broken glass for a moment; stared at all that remained of Fuyutsuki-_sensei's engagement gift to him and Yui. Gone now, just like her. __One-hundred year old scotch, Fuyutsuki had said, __real vintage stuff. Drink it in good health. And then the professor had bowed, tenderly kissing Yui's hand, then offering his own to Gendo. Gendo remembered wanting to strike the man for his public display of arrogance, for even __daring to touch his soon-to-be wife in such a manner. And he remembered smiling pleasantly instead and accepting the professor's hand because Yui was there and he would not ruin this day, or any other, for her. _

He also remembered a day not long afterwards, and yet seemed so very distant from the present, upon which he found himself walking hand-in-hand with the most beautiful woman in the world. Together they had strolled along the pleasant, tree-lined path in the hills above Kyoto, the leaves crunching beneath their feet and the trees the color of autumn – for the last time, had they only known, but even that would not have prevented the simple pleasure that they took in each other's company. 

After climbing several miles, they left the path and sat down for a lunch that had consisted mostly of dried fruit, cheese, granola, and cold vegetable sticks (including Yui's confounded celery sticks; always filled with peanut butter or cheese fondue or chocolate fudge, or some other bizarre garnish), but to him it had been a banquet because it had been shared with her. Afterwards, he had brought Fuyutsuki gift out of his pack. They had toasted each other and shared several drinks in good health. And afterwards, despite the hint of a chill in the air, they had shared something else in good health. In _very good health._

Those had been good days, happy days.

Did he really have the right to deny Yui's son the chance for that same happiness? Or Sohryu-Zeppelin's daughter? Perhaps even a future in which they found themselves together? Despite an age difference of nearly a decade his wife and the regional director of Project E at Gehirn's German branch had been great friends. He even knew that the two had joked more than once about the possibility of a relationship between their children, on the few afternoons the two women had shared together, when either one had traveled to their respective friends country. Though neither of them remembered it, the Second and Third children had met before, even if it was for a mere afternoon or two.

Even as an infant the girl's development had been far above average, and Gendo could still remember watching as a wholly self-assured, yet not-quite-one-year-old – her head topped with a mass of short, tangled strawberry-blonde hair – held his son's hands, trying to lead him in his own first steps. Sadly the experiment had ended in something of a mess, as Shinji – at first proud of himself – had panicked half way into his third halting step and both boy and girl had wound up in a heap on the floor, one barely holding back tears while the other screamed angrily, at least once or twice managing to spit out what sounded like one of the local expletives. And from the shocked and embarrassed looks on her parents' faces, their daughter had said _exactly what it sounded like she had._

He sighed. He recalled Yui or Sohryu-Zeppelin or someone, perhaps it had even been he himself, had been taking pictures that day. Mostly of the children, but there had been some of himself and Yui, and of the Sohryu girl's parents as well. He could not remember ever having the photos developed. Perhaps the roll of film still existed, or the photos, if they had not been among the possessions he had sold or destroyed after Yui was lost to him. Yes, to see her once again, even if it were only the briefest glance at a faded photograph…

Gendo shook his head furiously and forced himself back to the present, massaging bridge of his nose and chiding himself angrily for allowing himself to succumb to doubt and melancholy, weaknesses that he could not afford. He had no time for this sort of foolishness. He could think about her later -_would think about her later- the same way he always did when he closed his eyes and allowed himself the escape of sleep. For those few hours every night he could allow himself to admit to the pain and loneliness, if only to himself. He could afford the occasional tears. And at least in his dreams, he __could be with __her._

But not now. Not while he was awake, and most certainly not while he still had work to do. He was Commander Gendo-Fucking-Ikari and he was In Control of himself, God damn it, and a few stinking drinks were not going to change that. What was in the past had to _stay in the past. For now, at any rate. If his plans for Instrumentality came to fruition, however…well, in that event a great deal might change. A __great deal. Which is why it was essential that for now, he remain focused and deal with the matter __at hand. It was truly unfortunate that the Children had to suffer so much that his dream might become a reality. It was regrettable that so many had died already, and that so many more might die in the dark days ahead, that he might recognize his goal. But it was all unavoidable. The only thing that mattered was achieving the Vision of Instrumentality – __his Instrumentality, and the doddering old fools at Seele be damned – and his finally being reunited with Yui. God could rot in His Heaven, the whole of Creation could burn if need be, but he __would be reunited with Yui._

He hoped she would be able to forgive him. He hoped her son would be able to forgive him. He hoped that they could have a second chance at that which had been so cruelly taken away from them so many years before. After all, all things were possible with Instrumentality. Nerv and Project E were the keys to his own personal Lathe of Heaven. If all went according to plan, it would be as if none of this had ever existed, as though all of the pain and suffering, the loss and destruction had never taken place. For all intents and purposes, it wouldn't have. And hopefully it never would again. He would be with Yui again. Together they would raise Shinji to be a son that they could be proud of, just as it always should have been. Perhaps the boy would be joined a few years later by a baby sister – named Rei? – who would grow up to worship and adore her big brother. Who knew, perhaps Shinji would even get a second chance for happiness with the Sohryu girl.

A great many things were possible, after all… 

But that was all in the future. Much as he might wish otherwise, his goal would not be realized any sooner by attempting to rush it. His was very much a waiting game, and unfortunately he was powerless to hasten events to better suit his own schedule. In any case tonight was for other, far more immediate concerns. Instrumentality _would be achieved. But __his vision of Instrumentality was still in question. A number of factors still remained that might still bring all of his carefully laid plans to naught. Tonight was a night for examining the questions raised by the predictions contained on the Scroll of the Second Prophecy – most importantly how their coming to pass might affect the Realization of Instrumentality, but also the fate of the Second Child – and for considering his options. _

Lifting the phone's handset off its cradle, he pressed a single button. The call was picked up on the third ring, and a tired voice addressed him with a tired, yet still formal greeting. The Supreme Commander of Nerv did not bother to apologize for calling at such a late hour. "Meet me in my office in thirty minutes… no, _business…no it can __not wait until morning…I believe that you already know the answer to that…do not waste my time with pointless questions…I will consider it…please bring all of the relevant data on the situation we discussed earlier with you, as well as the file on the Second Child and any data that you have on the inactive pilot candidates as well. We will need to review all of it carefully…no, we will discuss that when you arrive…please call the commissary as well and have two pots of coffee, black, delivered to my office; it may prove to be a very long night…thank you, Doctor, your sarcasm is noted…that will be all for the moment…I will see you in twenty-seven minutes."_

With that he hung up the phone, straightened his glasses and adopted his customary 'Commander Ikari Pose,' and settled in for the short wait ahead. By the time that Ritsuko Akagi arrived exactly twenty-six and a half minutes later – managing to look surprisingly presentable for someone who had been asleep in bed on the other side of town less than a half-hour ago, but then Akagi was nothing if not appearance-conscious – she found the Commander on his second cup of coffee, and more or less sober. He offered no greeting, and for her part Ritsuko engaged in no pleasantries either, wisely ignoring the issue of the broken glass that littered the floor beside his desk and the reek of alcohol that accompanied it. She simply poured herself a mug of coffee from one of the steaming pots that sat on a tray on his desk – not the local hybrid sludge that they tried to pass off to the general staff as real coffee down in the mess area; this was Commander Ikari's own private blend- Kona stock- and very nearly worth it's weight in gold since Second Impact – and sat down opposite without a word. After draining half the mug and topping it off she finally looked him in the eye – a lopsided, not entirely pleasant smile just barely gracing her features – and presented three color-coded optical data-discs, setting them on the desk in front of her.

"The information you requested, Commander. May I suggest we get to work? I've been informed that we have a long night ahead of us."

It would turn out to be a very, very long night indeed.  
  
  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Notes.

Holy shit, that was a long chapter… As you all can see, this is a turning point in the story, where things are set in motion… It was incredibly harrowing to write the chapter, and I didn't even get to the part I wanted to end it at… Although that would have made the story even longer than it's actual 17k words, and would have delayed it's sortie even more… It was also great fun, especially the brainstorming with certain prereaders, whom I have to thank: Xanatose, Avarice, Chesed, TommyBRude, Shenalia, and finally Croatoan, without whom this fic wouldn't be the way it is now. Not to mention it would be quite crappy.

As mentioned… the brainstorming wasn't _all_ serious. It allowed for… several gags to be thought up. After a word from Croatoan, who requested a small snippet of his to be placed in here (which I won't deny him), the Omake Section shall be presented!

Another Writer's Note:

"Thank you for that wonderful introduction, Tcher."

_Croatoan bows and, taking a stack of index cards from an inside coat pocket, clears his throat and begins to speak._

"When you're a bloke who grows up in the suburbs of anywhere, a dream like this seems kind of vaguely ludicrous and completely unattainable; this moment is directly connected to those imaginings. And for anybody who's on the downside…ah, crap, this is the wrong acceptance speech…"

_Croatoan digs about in his coat and pants pockets for several moments more, spilling various and sundry sales tickets, news clippings, dry cleaning receipts, and one moving violation on the floor before finally extracting a single, tattered piece of loose leaf paper._

"Ahem. As I was saying, I'd like to thank Tcher here for just one or two things, and then I'll let you get on with the Omake, since I know how much people hate to read these commentary things in the first place…"

"First off, I'd like to thank Tcher for taking me on as a prereader way the hell back with Chapter two or three - it's been a heck of a ride so far, and I'm REALLY looking forward to the next few chapters."

"Second, thanks for indulging me where it's come to some of my more unconventional ideas and suggestions. Even if you did cut the Ice Cream Bit. I'll forgive you that much. And finally…" _Croatoan nervously eyes Shenalia inching closer to the stage, a lead pipe in his hand and a sturdy-looking length of rope over one shoulder_. "Thanks for allowing me to actually WRITE one or two parts of this most recent chapter."

"I had a hell of a good time with it, and it may just have been the kick in the butt my own long-dormant writing career has needed." _Croatoan begins to speak faster. " _Which reminds me of a few fan fiction ideas of my own that you might be interested in –"

_Shenalia suddenly runs up and bashes Croatoan with the pipe. _ "Bad co-author!  Back to your cell!"

_Croatoan is dragged offstage._

_Tcher watches the whole scene, shaking his head.  "_Riiiight. Whatever. Now, let the Omakes begin! Maestro, if you please?"

"Waaark!"

**Omake! **

Outtakes, Behind the Scenes, Interviews, and Deleted Scenes!

Warning: The material contained herein ups the PG-13 rating, as innuendo and naughty language abounds.

**Scene 19 – The Talk.**

_Misato, sitting at the kitchen table, a stern look on her face. She starts trembling, then bursts into laughter, soon followed by the kids. _

**Tchernobyl**: CUT!

**------TAKE TWO------**

**Misato:** Look, it's just that sometimes, a man and a woman…a man and a woman…uh…

**Tchernobyl:** CUT! Asuka, that's not in the script!

_Asuka stops blowing in Shinji's ear, her hand still on his thigh._

**Asuka: **What?

**------TAKE SEVEN------**

**Misato:** I CAN'T DO IT! I JUST CAN'T DO IT!

_Misato falls on the floor from laughter._

**------TAKE THIRTEEN------**

**Tchernobyl:** Damnit Asuka! What's wrong now?

**Asuka, between fits of laughter: **I just can't keep a straight face with her waving that...thing around! Bwahahah!

**------TAKE TWO – REVISITED - ------**

**Shinji, after Tchernobyl interrupts Asuka: **Uhm…its ok Mr.Tchernobyl… I really… don't mind…

_Misato falls from the chair laughing._

**------ TAKE TWENTY-SEVEN-----**

_Misato loses her grip on the banana; it goes flying offstage with the condom._

**Touji, offstage: **AUGH! MY EYE!

**------TAKE THIRTY------**

**Shinji:** Can ANYONE explain me how two buns and a hotdog can be used as EXAMPLES?

**------TAKE THIRTY-FOUR------**

**Tchernobyl:** Cut! Asuka, stop that!

**Asuka, who stops licking an ice cream in a quite provocative manner:** What now?

_Shinji, having watched Asuka licking the ice cream entirely too long, is now passed out on the floor with a nosebleed._

**------TAKE FOURTY-SIX------**

**Misato: **Shinji, this is more for you, but Asuka you should be aware too. You should always be protected...a...a...mumble mumble mumble...

**Asuka**: What Misato?

**Misato:** I said...

**Shinji:** Yes, Misato?

**Misato, who can't take it anymore: **A RUBBER, OKAY? A CONDOM! When used correctly can protect against pregnancy and crap!

_Asuka and Shinji burst out laughing. _

**------TAKE FOURTY-SEVEN------**

**Misato: **...and should be applied this way...okay, where'd I put that banana?

_The kids can barely breathe from the laughter._

**------TAKE SIXTY------**

**Misato: **And this is called KY jelly.

_Silence on the stage, except for an offstage snicker._

**Shinji: **Uhm, I don't think that was in the script…

**Tchernobyl: **Okay, who slipped in the wrong props?

**Asuka: **Wrong prop? You mean that's still a prop?

**Tchernobyl: CUT ALREADY! **

**_Scene 1 – Chat session_**

****

**------TAKE THREE------**

****

* RoterRitter tackles Momoku

Momoku Hah! I knew you wanted me!

RoterRitter Yes! Take me!

Momoku Wanton harlot! Remove thy vestments, and I shall--

**Tchernobyl:** CUT! CUUUUUT! Guys, you're supposed to be CHATTING! Not cybersex!

**_Scene 17 – Kitchen at Misato's arrival._**

****

**_Shinji: _**It's not my fault! YOU were the one digging around in the refrigerator with your...your...your HIND END sticking out!

**Shinji:** And a damn fine one at that…

_Asuka scoots up close to Shinji, pressing herself against him provocatively, letting one hand wander south from his chest, while forcefully applying one of Shinji's hands to her own derriere._

**Asuka: **Mmmmm....THAT'S what I've been waiting to hear, you naughty little boy. Not so boring after all, ne?

**Shinji: **Damn right.

_Shinji grabs Asuka by the waist, and bends her back._

**Shinji: **Gimme some sugar, baby.

** ****Tchernobyl: CUT! Fuck it! We're cutting the scene! You two trying to get me ARRESTED here? This is NOT kiddie porn! **

**Scene 15 – Touji learns of the news.**

**Toji, looking at Kensuke: **You're kidding me… You don't seriously expect me to believe that Shinji and God...?

_Toji trails off, then smacks his forehead._

**Toji: **I mixed that up from the movie scene earlier, didn't I.

**Asuka runs in from offstage, in full Monthy Python's Quest for the Holy Grail God costume: **BOW, MORTALS!

_Kensuke and Hikari starts bowing._

**Toji, whispering to Shinji:** And she's your _girlfriend_? Damn… Okay Ken, we've got to do it again.

**Toji, Kensuke and Hikari, bowing to Shinji: **ALL HAIL LORD IRON-BALLS!

**(AN: Sincere apology to Strike Fiss. I just HAD to! ^_^)**

**Asuka, to herself: **That's not the only part of him that's solid steel…

_The entire female Eva cast lets out a collective, dreamy sigh of appreciation and envy._

**Toji, to Kensuke: **I know _I_ didn't need to know that…

**_Special preview – The Kiss scene outtakes!_**

**Asuka: **Hey, Shinji, you wanna kiss me?

**Shinji:** Huh? What?

**Asuka: **Kiss me, you know. Have you ever done it? Kissed a girl? I'll bet you haven't.

**Shinji: **Nuh-uh…

**Asuka: **So let's do it.

**Shinji: **But…why?

**Asuka: **I'm bored, and there's nothing else to do…

**Shinji: **And that's your reason? _--You're weird…--_

**Asuka: **Are you afraid to kiss a girl on the anniversary of your mom's death? Is she watching you from up in Heaven?

**Shinji: **That's not it, I-

**Asuka: **Or are you scared?

**Shinji: **Why would I be afraid of a kiss? Pucker up!

**Asuka: **Right! You brushed your teeth after dinner?

**Shinji: **Yeah…

**Asuka: **Then here I come…****

_Shinji and Asuka then move close to one another, at first reluctantly, then their lips connect; what is at first an uncertain and fumbling attempt soon becomes a deeper and more passionate kiss, until both children are embracing one another, their hands running desperately over each others' bodies._

**Tchernobyl: **Okay guys, cut. This isn't how this scene is supposed to go, and you know it. Stop it, guys. Okay? Just...aw, come on, you two, it's getting late. Let's just finish this scene so that we can...CUT, already! Shinji, Asuka, please, I...

**Tchernobyl:** Aw, shit, now I KNOW **that** wasn't in this scene.

**Tchernobyl:** Will you two PLEASE stop rutting and let us set back up for the next take? You DO know that this scene doesn't even technically take place until the next chapter...?

**_--FEATURETTE: On Location with EVANGELION: Prior Acquaintances--_**

**__**

**_First interview: Asuka and Hikari _**

**__**

**Interviewer:** ...So what can you tell us about your off screen relationship with Shinji?

**Hikari, giggling:** Wai! He's sooooo dreamy!

**Asuka**: Hey, watch it, that's MY man you're talking about there!

**Hikari: **I know, I know...but he has such a hot little ass!

_The interviewer sweatdrops._

**Asuka:** You've got THAT right...

**Asuka:** And that's not ALL that's hot about him.

**Interviewer:** Girls...

**Asuka:** I mean I don't mind telling you...

**Interviewer:** Girls...?

**Asuka**: He's an increeeeedible lover. Sometimes we go at it all night, and in the morning I can barely st--

**Interviewer:** GIRLS!

_Asuka and Hikari silently stare at the interviewer._

**Interviewer:** For the love of christ, you're only kids! What the hell kind of talk is this?

**Asuka**: I'm 21 years old, moron. NGE was originally filmed over 5 years ago!

**Interviewer, mumbling to himself:** Thirteen plus five...But that only adds up to eighteen?

**Asuka: **Idiot. How many 'thirteen year olds' do you know with a rack like this?

_Asuka grabs self by way of demonstration._

**_Second Interview: Shinji _**

**Interviewer, crossing himself and praying for mercy:** Shinji...what can you tell me about your relationship with your costars? 

**Shinji: **I love 'em all. Professionals, every one. Sure, we joke around on the set, but sometimes you need to cut loose a little when you're on a show or a fic as dark and depressing as Evangelion.

**Shinji:** Of course, sometimes you inevitably get closer to some people than others. Take Asuka, for example. She and I--

**Interviewer:** That's it! Screw it! Come on, guys, we're gonna go interview the penguin.

**Shinji, confused:** ...I was just going to say we've announced our engagement and are going to be married this Christmas...****


End file.
